Fame and Games
by Silver Moon of Night
Summary: John is a piano prodigy teaching Karkat, a rich man's son, to play the piano, not knowing they've been gaming together for three years. But as time goes on, John begins to suspect exactly that. Humanstuck AU, JohnKat. M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Homestuck. :33**

Fame and Games

Chapter One: Stress Relief

A light, melodic symphony flowed through the hallways of the fairly average-sized house. The notes were complex but soft, and there was no one there to hear them but one boy, his father gone to work for the day. This was an average Saturday for the teenaged boy, however. Hours of practice were always put in to keep up his skills that were well-known across the country, even in some others- Europe, for instance.

Young eyes closed behind spectacles, tousled black hair brushed back from the boy's forehead, temporarily at least. His fingers danced gracefully across keys of ivory and ebony, back perfectly straight, face wiped clean of any clear emotion. His movements told everything, though- his stormy thoughts emerging in his song as his fingers traced an impossible path across keys, the tune slowly speeding from warm and soft into something intense and incredibly meaningful.

When the last note hung in the air, drawing out its short life for as long as the limited space available would allow, the boy stood and sighed deeply, opening his eyes to reveal them to be a vibrant blue. Furrowing his brow, he turned to begin heading through the house to his room from that where the piano was kept, looking a bit troubled. Lost in his thoughts, he almost bumped into things several times before reaching his bedroom door, and then it even seemed to take him a few moments to remember how to turn the knob. The entire time, he kept silent, glancing distractedly at his watch.

_Only thirty minutes._ He grimaced, plopping onto his bed and pulling his laptop onto his lap. Quickly starting the machine, he logged onto his favorite MMO RPG site, hoping one of his friends were on. He needed to relieve some of the stress that his occupation – world-famous pianist prodigy – put on him constantly with others' expectations of him (practice, performance, and even lately, private tutoring).

Thankfully, at least one of his team members was on this early on a Saturday. That happened to be the co-leader of his sixteen player team (the maximum limit was sixteen, and they'd been playing together since the three years before when they'd gotten put together randomly for the launch of the site's first campaign). CG, otherwise known as carcinoGenetist, was probably one of John's closest friends, even though he insisted he hated John constantly. Of course, he was called by his username- ectoBiologist, or EB for short. He didn't want any of his online friends to catch on to the fact that he was a well-known figure in classical media and culture. Then he'd just feel like they liked and respected him for that instead of who he was and his (self-proclaimed) awesome video game skills.

He was actually tied for the best player with CG, of course, leading to their co-leadership, or, to them being bestfriendleaders, as John liked to say. Their stats were different, but almost perfectly balanced each other out, and they had personalities to match, as well as good strategies. If John was ever asked his honest opinion on CG, he would quote from his own thoughts, "He's got the most righteous fury of any player I've ever seen, and despite how he seems, he plays a fair, clean game as far as he can help it, plus he's got awesome stats and equipment."

Certainly, if anyone asked John if he _liked _CG in that certain way – which even some on his own team had, TG and AG, for instance! – he would state plainly and simply that he wasn't a homosexual, and that he just liked CG as a friend. But the truth that he was trying to hide – even from himself – was that he had become infatuated with CG, his great abilities to bring the team together, his tone (well, gray, capitalized typing, the site unfortunately had no voice communications) that commanded authority, and most of all, the way he actually really cared for people despite first appearances.

John Egbert, prodigy pianist, age seventeen, had fallen for his co-leader on an RPG site called Sburb, and he didn't even know it.

Once he logged in to the campaign, CG was waiting, with his wall of gray text, which was mainly insults that John suspected might've been pre-written or thought of beforehand, but he didn't dare voice this thought aloud. It made him laugh a little and smile, though, for the first time since he'd gotten out of bed seven hours earlier that day. With every enemy he took down viciously, John became a little more relaxed. It felt good to get all his anger and stress out of his system. Even the tense tune he'd been playing earlier couldn't compare to the way the game let him give vent to his emotions.

By the time John's thirty minutes were up, he was feeling a lot more relaxed. He ruefully told CG he had to go, but he'd be back tonight. CG seemed exasperated that he was leaving so soon, throwing another few insults his way, then proceeding to tell him that he had to go anyway, to get ready for some stupid piano lessons his dad was making him take. _What a coincidence,_ John thought with a hum as he logged off, shut his computer down, and grabbed his car keys.

* * *

Halfway across town, the boy known as CG, or more commonly in the household as Karkat Vantas, was a swearing, grumbling ball of rage as he too logged off of his account and shut his computer down, preparing to meet his new piano tutor. First, he had to take a quick shower- he'd been at baseball practice an hour ago and hadn't taken one then, needing to vent his frustrations by killing orcs and goblins.

After leaving the shower and allowing his hair to drip dry onto a towel around his shoulders, Karkat went to gather his things for golf practice with his dad later. Along with being expected to keep up his perfect grades and these new piano lessons, Karkat's days were extremely occupied, but not by choice.

His father always burdened him with high expectations and forced extracurricular activities. The only way he could really seem to relieve the pressure was when he played RPG for long hours, usually in the middle of the night, which was the only time he seemed to be available. Even though he now had dark circles under his eyes from these long nights, he'd long ago gotten used to the short hours of sleep and no longer suffered from fatigue. It was worth it- the game was really the only way he could release his fury at the unfairness of his life, how controlled it was by his father's image of the perfect son, probably projected by Karkat's older brother, Kankri, who was twenty-one now and helping their father run their family's company.

Karkat was just finishing up with making himself presentable when the doorbell rang, and he was seriously considering going to the door and telling whoever it was to fuck off, whether it be his new piano tutor or not. He was just in an all-around bad mood and needed to take it out on something, but he didn't have time to go back onto the locally-based RPG site. Sburb wouldn't be saving him now. Instead, he went downstairs to find that Kankri had reached the door before himself or any of the servants, and being the (overly) polite guy that he was, had answered the door.

From his vantage point on the stairs, Karkat could see that the poor soul getting his ear talked off (probably about the rules of the house and the family "triggers") was in fact none other that his rather famous private piano tutor, a boy who looked surprisingly normal with messy black hair and bespectacled blue eyes.

Now, Karkat knew he was bisexual- after all, he'd dated both Terezi and Gamzee for a time, and his relationship with them ahead been fine after (not so much Terezi, but Gamzee he still went to for his problems). But he'd never felt such an attraction to anyone right away like he did right then. He needed to get closer- just to be sure he was feeling things right.

The teenager quickly ran down the stairs and pushed Kankri away from the door, saying, "Don't you have some statistics for the company to go over or something?" Surprisingly, he actually seemed to have some charts or other to go over, and he left quickly for once, instead of going on a tirade about how his little brother shouldn't be so rude.

"Thanks for saving me from that lecture he was giving me on how to knock and enter a house properly!" Karkat glanced at John Egbert, piano prodigy and his new tutor, from the corner of his red eyes, which he knew everyone thought were freakish, but he didn't do anything about. It wasn't his fault that he was an albino. But with that one glance, Karkat learned two things about how he felt about the boy.

_Oh God. I... feel like I know him... Shit, he's fucking_ _adorable!_

**Sorry it took me a few days to get this out after I said I would, I got a bit preoccupied. :'3**

**Hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

**-Silver**


	2. Chapter 2

Fame and Games

Chapter Two: Learning

"It's no big deal, he's usually like that," Karkat grunted in reply to John's expression of gratitude after a moment of shock, shaking his head. "Stupid fucking rants over nothing all the time. Come on in, I guess." He opened the door wider and moved aside to let John in, being considerably hospitable, as he usually slammed the door in the faces of anyone who he didn't want there. Something just made it seem like he couldn't do this to John, though.

Now, just because he had that strange sense of familiarity or thought that his new tutor was cute, well, that didn't mean Karkat wouldn't be giving him a hard time. In fact, he seemed almost eager to present the levels of spite he could actually possess and go to in order to try to tick the other off as they began the lessons.

For one thing, Karkat refused to touch any part of the grand piano at which his lessons were taking place. He didn't even sit in the bench seated before the piano for about seven minutes until he realized that standing wasn't exactly benefitting him, considering his feet were beginning to ache, still sore from baseball practice. Well, refusing to touch the piano worked for about twenty minutes- insofar as John kept teaching, but Karkat adamantly denied himself the "torture" of listening and refused blatantly to put into practice anything he was taught. This lasted for as long as the amount of time it took Kankri to wander into the room to check on Karkat's progress to find him doing nothing, resulting in a thorough, five-minute scolding before leaving again. Fearing a repeat performance by his older brother- though not really fearing, just not looking forward to- if he didn't practice and was again found out, he finally succumbed to John's teachings silently.

A sudden giggle from the boy next to Karkat a few minutes after Kankri left made him look up quickly, a scowl fixed on his face. "What, have a problem, dumbass?" he snarled, baring his teeth and his throat rumbling in what seemed to be an almost agitated growling noise, suddenly seeming much less like a human and more like some type of dangerous, feral animal. He's picked up the habit from growling agitatedly at the screen whenever the RPG team was in a tough spot, mimicking the sounds he imagined a troll would make, even though the trolls in the game seemed more like a gray-skinned, feral type of superhuman or perhaps even fae.

John seemed to flinch a bit, but his goofy grin never left his face. Karkat didn't think he'd ever loved and yet hated a smile more. He was so lost in staring that he didn't hear John say quietly, "Mister grumpy-troll," an allusion to the game he loved so much, but still wasn't aware that John played, due to his failure to hear his comment. He did, however, hear what John added in a louder voice."I guess you really don't want to learn piano, huh?"

Karkat gave John a 'No duh dipshit,' look, highly tempted to flip him the bird, before he continued. "I can really tell that you don't, Karkat, I don't need to know that you're not paying attention to see it. It's in the way you play, even if we're just learning to basics here. It's obvious you're not enjoying my lessons, I can see and understand that, but it's your dad that's paying me and wants you to learn, so I can't exactly just leave like that. Please, though, Karkat, make it a little easier on both of us and put some heart into this work, you might actually have fun. I imagine you'll at least feel a little less like you're suffering through torture. Also, this is my first time teaching piano formally, so please?"

The young albino was surprised to find himself slightly moved by John's speech. It was unusual for him to like anything long-winded, since he did have to live with Kankri. However, that didn't stop a warm blush from spreading over his pale cheeks at John's grin. He shook his head and ran a hand through his messy white hair. "Well, fuck. John, you've given me quite the fucking situation here. Why did you even come if you haven't taught before? Wanted to prove something, Mister I'm-Such-A-Great-Pianist?" He glared directly at John, angry at the totally curious and sincere look that was making his heart flutter in his chest.

"Because I've never taught anyone before, of course!" John chirped in reply, grinning from ear to ear with those slightly-annoying buck teeth. "I like to try new things all the time, and this is just one of them! Don't you like to try new things, Karkat?"

This earned a scowl and a roll of the boy's eyes. "Sure, sometimes, but not when my dad forces then on me like this! I never wanted to learn stupid fucking piano," he snorted. "I'd rather be playing on my favorite RPG sites with my friends than bothering with this stupid shit! School, I understand, and golf and baseball might have some use when I finally snap and beat some fuckasses senseless, but this? Useless!" He slouched down again after throwing his hands into the air in frustration.

"RPG sites?" Somehow, this had caught Egbert's attention. "You play RPGs? Which ones are your favorites?" He leaned in towards Karkat, almost as if in anticipation of his answer. Of course, there was no way in hell Karkat was going to give in to that look- no way, not Karkat Vantas. He was stronger than that, he didn't have to give in at all, not one bit, no matter how the closeness was flustering him.

Instead of saying anything Karkat gave a little grunt as an answer and vaguely said, "A locally-based site. I've already met my friends from the site in real life, though, so don't go getting your hopes up, because I don't need any more stupid fuckasses in my life." 'Well, except EB,' he added in his thoughts, frown growing deeper. 'That kid's more damn elusive than Strider. At least he's shown up to a couple meetings, we don't even know EB's name! Fuckass, why don't you just come to one of our group meet ups? I know you always get invited!' He was hardly aware that he was yelling at EB in his mind until John waved his hand in front of Karkat's eyes.

"Look," he said as Karkat came back in to focus. "Since we don't seem to be getting along so well, why don't we try getting to know each other better? My name is John Egbert, and I already know that we both like RPGs. I've been a prodigy pianist since I was six, and have apparently only kept improving if you listen to the media, but I've always felt stressed by it, so I learned to cope using the RPGs as I got older. I live with my dad and my sister, Jade, who grew up with her grandpa Harley on her mom's side- we have different moms, they're both dead now, I'm a couple years older than Jade- until she was ten, then he died and she came back to live with us. She's probably with her girlfriends shopping or something right about now, but she's really nice and friendly. Oh, and my dad is serious, but he also likes to bake! Our house is a lot smaller than this, too, we just live in a normal house that's kind of on the big side. What about you?"

With a steely look in his eyes and trying not to think about the similarities he'd heard in John's own story, Karkat just gave a low growling noise again, and having tuned John out halfway through for fear he might actually pity him, he'd missed the names "Jade" and "Harley," otherwise he'd start asking questions. "Sorry, but I don't give out my life story to strangers," he said after a pregnant pause, in which John had been watching him hopefully. The other's face fell, while Karkat tried hard not to give in to the strange urge to comfort him- what the hell was wrong with him today? So many goddamn problems. Maybe he was finally going crazy?

The rest of the lesson passed without event. John did seem more subdued, but Karkat honestly did his best not to notice. By the time he left, Karkat was glad- he'd be needing some time to fortify his mental barriers.

* * *

As John began on his way back home, driving a car incredibly similar to his father's, only in a blue color and a slightly sleeker model, he could only think that Karkat reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite place his finger on who. He felt a need to keep the tutoring mainly a secret for now, though- even from his sister, Jade (who was part of his RPG team). But maybe...

Rose, with her deducting skills, had early-on found out his true identity and confronted him about it in private during a duo-campaign, when they were the only two on and were simply fighting computer simulations instead of others on their team. She'd said she didn't want to ruin any secrets, so had contacted him in private. Of course, if she knew who he really was, so did her cousins- Dirk and Dave, twins, who looked up to their older bro, simply called Bro by everyone. They lived with Rose and her mom (mainly so Bro could help his sister whenever she was too inebriated to walk straight), so when they went out for a short time, it was inevitable.

He considered for a short time which of the two on his team he should contact about everything- Dave or Rose. He ended up messaging Rose, since she was the one of them that was on at the time. She was still a great friend even after their breakup, since neither had really felt it anyway, and she was now going out with GA.

Rose was willing to listen, and they talked for about an hour. Rose had some insightful things to say- some more mysterious and suspiciously knowing than others. Sometimes John felt as if she was laughing at him behind her words and the screen, as if there were something right in front of his face that he couldn't see.

By the time Rose had to go, he'd gotten absolutely nowhere.

**Oh my, terribly sorry for being a day late, everyone, meant to update last night! I accidentally fell asleep/passed out whilst writing, however, and it couldn't be done. Perhaps this completed chapter can compensate for the missed day? **

**Hm, and yes, I have already changed the name- I'm trying to find one that really fits, but expect that one to stick for a while. **

**-Silver**


	3. Chapter 3

Fame and Games

Chapter 3: Coincidence

John stared at the screen in utter shock, carcinoGeneticist's message seeming to sear into his eyes. He must be seeing things, those words, they- they were simply preposterous! It had to be a very good coincidence- freaky, sure, but just a coincidence, that was all. Yeah, that was probably it, no need to worry.

CG: THE LITTLE DIPSHIT ACTUALLY TOLD ME HIS ENTIRE FUCKING LIFE STORY. IT WAS COMPLETE TORTURE, I GET ENOUGH SPEECHES FROM MY BROTHER EVERY DAY.

CG: HEY, FUCKASS! EB, ARE YOU EVEN PAYING ANY FUCKING ATTENTION? YOU'RE LEAVING YOURSELF COMPLETELY OPEN HERE, WAKE THE FUCK UP!

This second part jerked John out of his shock and back into the game, frowning in concentration as he saw they'd gotten into a pickle with some imps in the game, completely surrounded. He kept one eye on the chatbox, though, as he gave his all while the others continued talking.

AC: :33 *ac says c'mon, cg, they can't pawssibly be that bad! sympurrthetically*

GA: Yes, I Am Sure They Are Not Quite As Bad As You Depict Them, CG. You May Be Overreacting. This Person Seems Genuinely Kind. Perhaps It Would Be To Your Benefit To Get To Know Them Better?

TT: I must agree with GA. The person you describe seems to want to become friends with you. Perhaps you should extend a hand to help them on their way. After all, we are technically your only friends right now, are we not? It may be good to have a friend you met first in real life.

John frowned at that- Rose still wasn't yielding whatever information that John was sure she had about his situation, and the feeling was only getting stronger. He chose to ignore it, because it certainly wasn't like he was just going to pester Rose until she told him. That would be inconsiderate of him. Resolving not to worry over it, he began ignoring the chat box on the side of the screen for an amount of time that he wasn't completely sure of. When he looked back, he saw he'd probably missed something important- almost everyone was calling for him.

TA: 2hiit, get your a22 back here, EB! we've been talkiing two you for 2ix minute2 now without a reply!

CA: yeah, land dwweller. wwhat are you tryin to achieve by ignorin us?

AC: :33 *ac furantically moves between the two*

AC: :33 *ac says, purrlease don't fight! maybe eb has good claws for this! in a hurry*

CT: D- Please, AC, don't associate with the lower classes

CT: D- They can never be as STRONG as we highb100ds, and they are a bad influence on you as a midb100d

TC: cOmE oN, tHaT's JuSt A pArT oF tHe MoThErFuCkInG gAmE, bUdDy. HeLp Us FiNd OuR mOtHeRfUcKiNg FrIeNd, Ct. :o)

CT: D- Yes, highb100d, of course

CT: D- I think I need a towel

CG: WILL YOU FUCKASSES QUIT GOOFING OFF AND GET EB'S ATTENTION ALREADY.

GG: maybe he's already looking at the screen, but confused! this is all pretty overwhelming out of context!

TG: man he probably saw all this attention he was getting and panicked

John decided he'd been standing around shocked long enough. He put his fingers to the keys, and tapping began to fill the room.

EB: i'm here, guys. what happened? i got a little into the game and forgot to check back, sorry!

CG: THERE YOU ARE.

TT: EB. We were discussing out plans for two weeks from today exactly. I do trust you remember what that day is?

EB: umm... no?

Actually, that was John's birthday, but that couldn't possibly be it- he was sure they didn't remember that from the years previous.

GC: H3H3H3, W3LL 3B, 1T'S TH3 4NN1VERS4RY OF THE D4Y W3 4LL M3T. TH3 D4Y TH3 G4M3 W4S R3L34S3D FOR TH3 F1RST T1M3 TO TH3 PUBL1C! HOW COULD YOU FORG3T?

TG: eb i will seriously show up at your house with everyone just to celebrate with you

TG: see the whole gang together for once

TG: its ironic as shit that we havent all met in one place yet and its because of you and youre like the most friendly dude here

TG: but seriously dude some of us really want you to show up

TG: like ag

AG: HEY!

John worried his lower lip with his buckteeth at this new turn of events in the conversation. Of course he hadn't fully forgotten- it always popped up in his mind every now and then. He really did want to be able to go, but he feared what everyone might think of him. Dave actually did know where he lived, though, and he didn't doubt that he would go through with his promise if it came to it. Two weeks from now, John would be opening his front door to fourteen teens on his doorstep, Jade looking merrily over his shoulder.

Then he remembered his excuse.

EB: sorry guys, but that's my birthday! we probably won't be home all day!

TG: man thats cold

TG: come celebrate with your friends

TG: itll be even better than some lame movie and popcorn

TG: were meeting in the park if you change your mind and want to show up

AA: yeah, it'd be great t0 finally meet y0u! :)

CC: I agree! we've been waiting for quite a w) (ile!

GC: YOU'D B3N3F1T FROM TH3 COMP4NY, 3B, 4ND 1T'S 4 L1TTL3 STR4NG3 TH4T W3 H4V3N'T 3V3N M3T OUR CO-L34D3R Y3T!

EB: okay, okay, i'll think about it!

AT: i THINK, tHAT IT'LL BE NICE, tO MEET YOU, eB,,

AG: I agree with Toreadork!

AT: dON'T, cALL ME THAT,,

AG: You've 8een soooooooo elusive, this'll be a gr8t chance to see you!

EB: i said i'll try!

He frowned as the conversation was redirected to dates by Rose and GA. He knew Dave was going out with GC, the girl he'd occasionally call Terezi when it was just they two (long ago they'd made a vow not to call each other by name until they'd met each other face-to-face, so John wasn't allowed to hear any names from anyone until he actually met them). John was not, however, aware that Rose and GA were now going out, though to his knowledge it was a more recent development. TA and CA seemed to be keeping their extremely strange and perilous relationship in balance most of the time. CT and AG had also begun dating a few weeks ago. AC then directed the attention of everyone to CG, who'd been quiet besides a few rude comments for a while, which was unlike him.

John, surprisingly enough, found himself crestfallen to hear (or rather, to read) a slight hesitation, then that CG had his eye on someone, or at least had a crush. John shrugged the feeling off as disappointment that he was one of the last of his group who wasn't dating. AA was with CC, and Jade was even dating AT, though she never brought him home, saying he was shy, which John could partially believe, and that there were too many stairs for him, which he didn't exactly understand. That only left John, AG, TC, and CG. And of course, with John's strict "I'm not a homosexual" policy, that left AG as someone he knew who was available and at least compatible at the basic levels. She'd even starting dropping a few hints that she liked him lately.

The pianist raised a hand to his head to massage his temples. He was getting emotionally worn out and a bit overwhelmed by everything they'd been talking about, so once again ignored the chat box. He'd have liked to go to sleep, but they were in the middle of an important mission, and John was on hardcore imp duty, beating them down left and right. Of course, others were helping, but there was such a large amount of the imps that no man could be spared. He'd wait a few more minutes for them to finish, then he'd excuse himself to get to bed.

When they finished the campaign, his eyes strayed to the chat box to see that all that time they'd been bothering CG about who he liked. Egbert's eyes widened at that he saw.

CG: FINE, IT WAS THE PIANO GUY. I JUST FELT LIKE I KNEW HIM, THAT I LIKED HIM, AND HE WAS KIND OF FUCKING ADORABLE. I HATED IT AT THE SAME TIME.

John quickly said goodbye and shut everything down, trying not to panic, not even waiting to see the assorted goodbyes he always got. The coincidences were starting to scare him a bit.

He'd felt the same way about his student, after all. He was just wise- or stupid- enough to deny it to everyone, even himself.

_**Some of the quirks don't work on ffn. Fuck.**_

**So sorry if not all the quirks are right or someone isn't in character. I still need to practice others a bit. I did Jade/Tavros for a friend who ships them, btw- I think the pairing is cute, but ship is such a strong word, y'know?**

**Hope you could enjoy some of this chapter. :'3**

**-Silver**


	4. Chapter 4

Fame and Games

Chapter 4: Hate, Not Hate

Karkat tapped the keys of the piano in boredom, hoping he could get this lesson over with as soon as possible, not wanting that strange feeling in his chest for longer than needed. The problem was that John was now five minutes late for their Tuesday lesson, and much to his horror, Karkat was actually getting _worried_, which was preposterous. He'd only known him since Saturday, for goodness sake! What did that boy even do to him to affect him this much?! He wanted it to stop- but at the same time, it excited him in a way he couldn't explain. It was like he was on the brink of discovering something completely amazing. It was annoying as fuck because he didn't understand it.

"Hey, so you have been practicing!" A chipper voice made the pale boy jump, then whirl around and glare at the bespectacled male, then fell off the back of the bench when he forgot that it was, in fact, a bench, and not his swiveling computer chair, his main seat when he was at home. Grumbling, he rubbed his head and sat up, only to find a hand extended towards him. "Need a hand?" Egbert asked lightly, his eyes smiling along with the rest of his face.

"I don't fucking need your help!" Karkat snapped, slapping his hand away. "How the hell did you even get in? Did you break in or something? I know the door was locked, I make sure every day when I get back from school!" _See, he's some kind of trespassing freak. You shouldn't like him, Karkat, get your head on straight! Maybe if you keep acting it'll become real hate!_

The black-haired boy was tilting his head at Karkat when he focused again, and the shorter realized he'd missed something that was said, perhaps a question. He also realized he was still sitting on the floor, which actually may've been the source of whatever was said. He stood as quickly as possibly, a dark scowl set on his features. "What? Is there something wrong with my face to make you stare like that, dipshit? Or is their something wrong with your eyes and neck to make you physically unable to look away from my face?"

To Karkat's surprise, John flinched and looked genuinely hurt at this. He seemed to give up on something as he took a few steps back, only giving Karkat little glances, not like the enthusiastic looks he'd been giving Karkat on Saturday and before the albino had yelled at him. "I was just wondering if you were okay, and if you maybe wanted to..." He pursed his lips and shook his head, now only looking at the floor. "Never mind. I know you don't like me anyway, it was stupid."

Karkat felt like a thorn had pierced his heart, and guilt overtook him in the awkward silence that followed, neither looking at the other. Finally, Karkat sighed, moving forward to give John a hug and surprising both of them. It lasted about two seconds before Karkat let go, leaving John to look stunned and he to talk despite his own confusion at his actions. Before he could allow his mind to catch up with his burning face, Karkat began, "Okay little fuckass, tell me whatever the fuck it is. You have one minute to talk and tell me whatever it is, and I'll try not to interrupt. Just try not to make it so fucking bad that I start to feel embarrassed for you."

Almost immediately, the boy in blue brightened significantly, his usual buck-toothed grin on his face once again. "Gee, thanks, Karkat!" he chirped, obviously politely ignoring all the insults that Karkat had managed to stuff into his words with those sentences along with limited consent to speak his thoughts. "I just thought that maybe we could exchange cell phone numbers? I know this is gonna sound like an insult, but you don't seem like a person to want many friends, sorry. The big thing is that you remind me of somebody, though, I just can't quite put my finger on it!"

The other boy waited a few seconds with a strangely impassive look on his face that looked foreign perching there, wanting to make sure that John was through speaking before he himself began to talk. Then, when he opened his mouth, he gave them both another surprise by uttering ten words- or numbers, to be specific. When John gave him a blank stare, Karkat scowled and said harshly, "What, fuckass? It's my fucking phone number! Are you going to put it in your goddamn phone or not?"

The grin was back as John fumbled his phone from his pocket and held it up, ready to enter a new contact. "Repeat that, please?" Giving a roll of his eyes, Karakt sighed and repeated the numbers slowly enough that John could type in the numbers. Finally, John looked up and gave his number as well, then said, "Let's start with the lesson now!" Humming merrily, he seated himself at the bench and began teaching the notes of the keys, which he'd done on Saturday, but was repeating for Karkat's sake.

This time, when Karkat sat beside him, he still didn't practice- but what he finally did was listen. He pretended that he wasn't, but even John didn't miss his sharp eyes watching his fingers on the keys. They ended up staying in the piano room for lessons longer than intended- instead of the scheduled hour, John was there for an hour and a half before Karkat's stomach rumbled, and they realized it was about the time for dinner. Karkat begrudgingly invited John to the kitchen to get something to eat with him, as if it was all his fault that their lesson was running late, even if he hadn't said anything to stop it either.

"You have a bunch of servants, huh?" John mused, as a maid hurried past with clean laundry. That was about the third time that someone who worked in the house had gone past them in the halls. "Of course, it's a big house, so you probably need a lot of people for upkeep. I mean, wow, I know your dad owns one of the biggest companies in rivalry with Betty Crocker, and total respect for going up against them, by the way, but man, this house is huge! Is it just you, your parents, and your brother?"

Karkat grimaced, realizing that John didn't know as much about him as he knew about John because he hadn't participated in the 'get-to-know-each-other' talk the other day. "My mom died just after I was born. I've got a lot of expectations on me because of how perfect my brother is, too, so I'd really rather live on my own in an apartment somewhere, but of course I don't make the money yet, and my dad won't let me get a job, with all these activities he keeps piling on. I don't mind golf, because it's about the only time I see him, and he's actually really nice and great, I just don't think he realizes what he's doing to me with all these high expectations." He paused for a moment, unsure of why he'd just told John all this, and then added, "Most of the servants live here too, though."

"Oh." That was the only thing that came from John before he said quietly, "I'm sorry," placing light fingers on Karkat's arm in a minimal gesture of comfort, unsure of how he'd react to being hugged despite the little shock he'd given both of them before. "I know how you feel. It's okay to grow up without a mom, though. You and I grew up without moms, and we turned out fine, didn't we? One of us is a little grumpy, but fine."

And those words, paired with that half-sad, half-encouraging smile on John's face, made the need to hate him in Karkat's heart just a little less.

**GJDAK:fJASDJGL:AJ WHERE. Where do you wonderful people come from. ;u; Wow, seriously, thanks for the R&R, or even just alerting/favoriting, just, you're all wonderful people, just, thank you. :'3**

**As you can see, in this chapter I have attempted to illustrate the phase of "kismesistude" that Karkat felt for John, or liked to think he did. I believe he even mentioned at some point that having a kismesis really wasn't for him? May just be me misremembering, but that's not uncommon, my memory is horrid. I like to think that, being disgusted at himself for, after all this time, avoiding getting culled for his blood color, falling for an "enemy"- someone from a planet that, given time, his race might've overtaken, Karkat tries to at least disguise it with false hatred so as to make it a little less despicable, from his point of view. OTP headcanons are the best. There will be more feelings of false "hate" in the future, denial and all that stuff, blah blah. **

**But seriously, _these reviews/favorites/alerts, thank you so much. _**

**-Silver**


	5. Chapter 5

Fame and Games

Chapter 5: Invitation and Anxiety

Karkat stared at the small screen of his phone, where he had received his first message from John. This gave him another of those strange moments of familiarity, but by now (Wednesday, the day after he'd given John his number), he was passing them off as nothing. He frowned as he quietly contemplated the message, wondering if this was going to be some kind of date or some shit, but he got the feeling that Egbert wouldn't be the one to ask another guy n a date, though if a guy asked first, he might-

He pulled his train of thought away and concluded that it was a simple invitation, as it said. _hey karkat, dad said i could invite you to my benefit concert in the park this friday! :B if you want i can come pick you up an hour beforehand and you can come get something to eat with me? dad doesn't normally come to the local concerts anymore, as a warning, y'know, in case you think that might make it awkward. _Actually, that did seem like a good proposal, but Karkat was almost certain it was because it seemed like the boy he'd now come to accept that he had a crush on was asking him out. He once again pushed that out of his mind, because it was impossible, and began to type a message back.

His caps lock key on his phone was broken, and he wasn't about to exert all the extra energy and waste time by pressing shift for every letter he typed- so instead, Karkat had to settle for writing properly, like he'd been taught to in school. _Sure, fuckass. Why not. I might as well make sure that my piano tutor is legitimately an expert as he and many others claim. After all, we're paying good money for these lessons. _He then sent the message and sat back on his bed, opening up his laptop to log onto Sburb. EB wasn't on, which disappointed him a little- he's wanted to vent off some of his frustration and presumable hatred for John Egbert by yelling at his friend while they killed ogres together. However, Gamzee was on, and he was always someone Karkat could trust to tell his feelings too, just about the only person, in fact.

The cancer invited Gamzee into a campaign, one that was suited for four or less players, which meant it would be a little challenging, but he needed it to take his mind off of everything. For a while he and Gamzee talked about nothing in particular, then all of a sudden, Gamzee seemed to know that there was something wrong with Karkat, that something was bothering him and preying on his mind.

TC: My MoThErFuCkInG bEsT bRo, WhAt'S tRoUbLiNg ThAt ThInKpAn Of YoUrS? :o(

Karkat frowned, fingers poised, hovering over the keyboard as he gained a sort of s distant look, wondering how to say what was on his mind. Finally, he decided on the easiest way to get help from Gamzee now was to tell him the truth. He'd just have to tell him about his crush on a boy he'd known for less than four days, that he had this urge to mask it with hate, and that he really felt like he knew him. Of course he'd admitted his crush during the gameplay on Monday when they were all talking about who they were dating, but Karkat had refused to go in-depth about it.

But he could trust Gamzee, he knew he could. It wasn't a matter of question or opinion, it was a matter of fact, so he began spilling out his troubles about his new crush and the strange feelings he was having. The "violet-blood" of the game had no trouble listening quietly, or at least not typing a reply until Karkat was through. By the time he was, he was already feeling a bit better. Perhaps it was the relief to finally get all those feelings off of his chest, but just being able to tell someone really helped.

That didn't even compare to when Gamzee started on helping him, though. When he began to type back, his words were strangely soothing and sensical for him, being who he was, his head always in the clouds and taking medicine daily for schizophrenia, though Karkat was sure he was one of the only ones in the group who knew this. Somehow, though, he was talking Karkat through almost every single one of the problems he'd presented and somehow making him feel more relaxed and ready to face his crush head-on.

Of course, he wouldn't pursue it so soon- he'd only known John for a few days, even if it did feel like he'd known him for longer. But everything chaotic about it seemed to melt away with Gamzee's help. He was one of the few people in the world that Karkat actually liked and could stand, especially in times like these. He did care for more people than he cared to admit, though, those mostly being his RPG group, family, and even some servants. He was like a teddy under his crabby outer shell.

CG: THANKS, GAMZEE. YOUR HELP MEANS A LOT TO ME. I THINK I WOULD HAVE GONE CRAZY IF I KEPT IT TO MYSELF ANY LONGER, AND YOU'RE PROBABLY THE ONLY PERSON IN THE ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD THAT I CAN ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT MY PROBLEMS WITH. YOU'RE A HELL OF A GOOD FRIEND. IF YOU EVER NEED ANYTHING IN RETURN, I'M HERE.

TC: No PrObLeM pAlEbRo, SaMe HeRe. :o)

This statement by Karkat was unusual for him, but he was feeling so relieved that he believed his gratitude should outrightly be expressed, not kept locked up or hidden behind insults as usual. Gamzee truly deserved at least that much for all the help he was to Karkat, and it amounted to a lot.

By the time he logged off, Karkat was extremely relaxed, despite all the tenseness he'd been feeling because of stupid baseball practice earlier. He almost forgot to check his texts to see if Egbert had replied yet when his phone buzzed again- surprisingly enough for the loud person he was, Karkat hated the noisy, obnoxious ringtone of his cellphone and couldn't be bothered to change it.

It was John, again- apparently the second message he'd sent since Karkat replied. The first read, _w__ow, great! i'm glad you get to come, I don't think it would be the same without you. _That one warned Karkat's heart and gave him a little hope. If John was already saying such affectionate phrases, maybe that meant he had a chance? At least a chance at friendship, even if he'd been kind of (okay, a lot like) an asshole to the pianist.

The second message also gave him a warm kind of sensation in his chest, even if it was more discreet. John had taken the time before falling asleep, probably assuming Karkat already had, to send one last message in the dead of night, on a school night no less. _good night, karkat. _

**And another chapter, because you little fuckers deserve it. *she says affectionately* Really though, thanks again. I've already got the next couple of chapters planned, I think you'll all like them. Next chapter, John at school. **

**-Silver**


	6. Chapter 6

Fame and Games

Chapter 6: Being Heterosexual

The cool kid was giving the jokester a weird look behind those shades after his confession, and John just knew it. "Dave, don't give me that look!" he grumbled, words caught csome where between a whine and a command. "I just asked my student to a benefit concert so he could see the joys that learning to play might bring, okay? It's nothing like what you're thinking at all, I swear!" He seemed genuinely upset at whatever his best bro had suggested.

Dave then smirked, and John could tell he was holding back a grin. "You're so easily upset, bro! Why don't you just accept that this is a gay date with your student boy-crush? Or do you want to be going on a date with the Strider instead?" He made a a motion indicating himself, sounding full or himself and knowing it. "You know you want a piece of this hot Strider ass, Egbert." The cool kid seemed to be pleased when John buried his burning a face into his hands with a groan at the little wiggle of his butt that Dave had sent in his direction. "Wow, I see I'm affecting you. I didn't know you had such feelings, John."

"Dave, shut up! I'm straight, and so are you, you're dating Terezi!"

"Bisexual, Egderp, there's a difference," Dave pointed out, as if this were the most important and obvious fact in the world. "You could be too, you know, this whole thing with this student guy. He's our age, that's what you said, right? This isn't some fucked-up pedophile obsession with a little kid?"

"Oh my god, Dave, just stop, please," John pleaded. "I'm not into Karkat like that! He's just a friend, honestly, I swear. I don't like guys, and you know that, why do you have to pick on me all the time for it? I'm fine with everyone we know who is a homosexual, like, you know, your twin? I don't pick on Dirk for being homosexual, now quit picking on me for being heterosexual, Dave!"

Being able to tell that he was legitimately becoming distressed with his teasing, Dave backed off, holding up his hands. "Okay, dude, okay! But we really need to get to class. We're going to be late, and you know Ms. Maryam isn't lenient, bro. We're probably going to get in trouble just for being one millisecond late, dude."

"I know, you don't have to tell me twice!" John said, smilng, though worriedly. Though motherly, Ms. Maryam could be terrifying when angered- even though she was nothing compared to the principle, Mr. Ampora, who had been an admiral in the marines in his younger years, explaining the strange double-scar on his forehead. He believed all children should be perfectly taught to be perfect adults at a young age- preferably when they were first born, so he didn't have to go through the trouble of threatening the lives of entire grade levels when one person was caught doing something wrong.

They got into their seats just as the bell rang, John breathing a sigh of relief, Dave only sitting there as if he'd been there for more than five seconds. He'd heard from Rose that he often showed a lot more emotion as a kid, though on accident, but as he grew older he got better at hiding those emotions. John had almost immediately caught on to how to tell how his best bro was feeling, though, when they'd met a couple years ago, when he'd asked Rose out online and visited her house to meet her family.

The class was long and tedious, John almost falling asleep several times as he thought of all the pranks he could be pulling right now. He was actually really grateful he had Ms. Maryam for history, as she was a good and mainly interesting teacher, but today she'd gotten together a PowerPoint on the Great Depression, which John had heard about pretty much every year before. It was becoming ridiculous, but at least he knew that he would probably be able to pass the test without listening to much of the lecture.

"Man, that _sucked_," Dave sighed, shaking his head as they walked out of the class. "I guess I better get ready for Mr. English's world travels class. That man is so fucking ironic, he talks about all these adventures he's had but sometimes he seems way too dense to have ever actually gotten out of that shit alive, even if he does have proof. You have Ms. Crocker next, right?"

"Yeah," John said with a nod. "Home ec... This oughta be fun." He sighed, looking up at the ceiling with a roll of his eyes. Ms. Crocker was weird when it came to baking, allowing only Betty Crocker products to be used, and John hated those products with a fiery passion. Only if there was no Betty Crocker product for the curriculum did she let them use something else; plus, she'd completely push everything else off the schedule just so they could make cakes and cookies and other Betty Crocker-based goods. THe worst part was that she thought everyone actually enjoyed it, which everyone did, excepting John. At least they didn't usually do any real work...

"Earth to John! Dude, you even listening? The bell's gonna ring in two minutes, I'm out." Before he knew it, Dave was gone, and he had to hurry to get to Ms. Crocker's class. He sat by Rose and got comfortable, glancing over at Ms. Crocker's daughter, Jane Crocker, sitting by the window with Roxy Lalonde, Rose's twin, chatting away. It was actually pretty bad that he didn't talk to them much, as Jane was Roxy's girlfriend, and Rose and Roxy got along fine after a brief time seeming uncertain of each other (at least, brief for him, in the amount of time he'd known them)... He just wasn't entirely comfortable around them, though he didn't know why.

He was glad when that class ended, then drove himself through the next class and the next until it was time to go. That had been just about the longest day of his life. He decided he'd text Karkat as he was going outside to catch a ride with Dave to his house, having agreed to help his friend study for history, as well as math, which they also shared, their teacher being Ms. Leijon, who was overall nice and didn't assign more homework than necessary. He did, of course, get teased for this, and his phone grabbed from him so Dave could read the messages.

"_Why don't you text in school, dumbass? I've been bored out of my mind all day and been waiting for your text,_" Dave read aloud, then gave John a shit-eating grin that he'd adopted from Terezi. "Sounds like someone's crush has a crush on them. I can see the wedding now. I can have my brother tape it and bring plenty of smuppets for your two-person after party."

"Oh god, no Dave," John said, shuddering. But at the same time, he really couldn't help but wonder- could he be right about Karakt liking him? He shook the thought away, firmly reminding himself that he didn't like guys, and he certainly couldn't like the shouty guy that, on no account, liked him anyway. It sent a pang through his chest to think about it, though, and he audibly sighed.

He didn't even realize he had until he caught Dave looking at him as they got into his car. He gave him a questioning look in return and realized that he probably looked a little more forlorn than he should, so quickly straightened up and smiled reassuringly. To his surprise, as soon as they'd both closed the doors Dave said, voice cool yet sharp, "Don't give me that bullshit, John. I can tell something's eating at you. You want to tell your best bro about it?"

Though he was clearly mindful of the emotion in his tone, John could tell that he was truly concerned for his sake. He looked away out the window with a shrug, still unsure if he wanted to share the confusion in his head. It was too much for him to even comprehend at the moment, even if he'd like to be able to share with his best bro, he wasn't sure he'd be able to. He said, "There's nothing to say right now. Maybe later, when I can actually understand it myself, okay, Dave?" He felt guilt come into the mix as he could sense that his friend's concern only grew, but he wasn't ready to answer any questions about it right now. "Anyway, we have to get our minds ready to study. You know how hard it is to concentrate sometimes."

With that, they both fell silent, and nothing more was said on the matter. John could tell it was getting under Dave's skin, though, and he'd be asking again soon, perhaps when it was least expected.

**I'm so sorry, life happened. :'D With the exams coming up, I've been loaded down with homework lately and come home exhausted, and it's been all I could do to keep up the roleplays I've had going on. I wrote on this here and there, but I couldn't finish it till today, sorry. VwV"**

**-Silver**


	7. Chapter 7

Fame and Games

Chapter 7: Melody

Karkat awaited John's arrival at his door patiently that Friday. He was trying not to be impatient, really trying his best, but he wanted to see John again. The feeling had been itching at his skin for a while, made worse by the fact that he felt guilty- guilty because coming to terms with his crush on John had also brought his crush for two and a half years to the forefront of his mind. EB was still in his mind, near-constantly when he was around John, because sometimes he was reminded of his online friend when talking to him.

When John's red Cadillac pulled in, Karkat really didn't know what to think or what he'd been expecting. Maybe some dumpy little truck that didn't look like it would last a few minutes, let alone carry them across town? He certainly wasn't expecting the sleek, expensive-looking car that parked in his driveway, as he'd not really gotten a look at his tutor's car before. He was almost prepared to run across the porch to the circular drive, in the center of which there was a fountain and which led to a long, straight "driveway" that was about half a mile of open country in itself, just to verbally abuse whoever was trespassing on the Vantas estate before John opened the door and got out with his usual grin. A small blush spread over Karkat's pale face when he took in the other's appearance; a loose white button-up adorned his figure, the top two buttons undone to give him a more familiar look, and he wore a pair of black dress-pants with shiny black shoes to match.

"Damn, Egbert, I figured our mode of transport would be a piece of shit rust bucket, but this is a pretty good car," Karkat commented, approaching the boy and his vehicle. Egbert had now raced around the side to open Karkat's door for him, like they were going on some kind of date- Karkat's heart quivered at the thought, but he quickly quelled it, not getting his hopes up about something that was probably just John being gentlemanly. He seemed to be the kind of person that would be ignorant enough to do that, or either feign ignorance when he did it just to piss Karkat off (though this second one was probably much less likely, simply Karkat's imagination).

John shut Karkat's door and hurried over to his own. "Hey now darling, don't be that way," he said teasingly, rolling his eyes but still looking a little nervous. So maybe Karkat _wasn't_ the only one to have noticed how much like a date this was. He felt a little bad for Egbert before pushing it out of his mind; why should he care about the spineless little Egderp thought, or was panicking over in his mind? He told himself that it didn't matter so long as he didn't try to make any moves towards him.

He spaced out for a while, trying to avoid the awkward silence that had arisen. He watched the countryside, then suburbs, go by in a blur, mind wandering, every once in a while noticing something that particularly stuck out. Finally, he saw that they were coming to a stop outside a small diner in a more rural area, which gave him a quick shock of surprise. He was used to going to more fancy restaurants, especially since he didn't usually go out to eat except when he had to go with his dad to important "business meetings" at some upper-class French restaurant or something. This was a nice change of pace, though, Karkat decided as he opened his own door this time and stepped out of the car, inhaling sweet, fresh air, then turning to peer at the quaint little white-washed building, the little chimney on top spouting white smoke and making it seem particularly like there was something homey and inviting to it.

"Do you like it?" When the albino turned to face the pianist, he was looking at him with an intense though anxious eagerness, the corners of his mouth twitching into a nervous smile. "I used to come here with my family all the time when I was a kid, especially when my sister came back to visit over summer and those few years before Mom died. Now my dad works a lot of longer hours and my sister has a boyfriend to keep her busy, so if I ever come here most of the time I'm alone. I know you're probably used to fancier places. It is okay though, right?"

"You're rambling, John," Karkat sighed, though he was hiding a smile at the words he'd just heard from his- he had to remind himself firmly- _friend_. That was a really tender, sweet detail that he'd just been told by this guy he hadn't even known for a week yet had the biggest crush-disguised-as-hate on. "It looks fine, so long as the food's edible. I mean, damn John, the way you were worrying what I thought just now, that look on your stupid face, you would've thought this was a fucking _date_."

To Karkat's surprise, it looked as though John was nervous because of this rather sarcastic remark, instead of laughing it off as a joke or simply sneering at the idea in disgust, as most would. "Haha, a date? We're just friends, Karkat, that's just silly. Friends don't go on dates!" Adding the fact that his voice was high-pitched and words clumsy and awkward, John was definitely nervous. Something was going on with the other boy, and Karkat fully intended to trace the problem to its source, desperately hoping it wasn't true yet sensing with a terrible sureness that he was the very source of the problem he was intent on finding. Already, he was beginning to worry over the smallest problem with John, even if he wasn't going to admit it.

"Let's just go inside, fuckass," Karkat grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "Get your worthless ass in there before we have no time left before this dumbass concert you want me to go to with you for charity or whatever." He circled the car to John and gently gave him a nudge in the right direction. John, who'd been giving him a spacey stare full of the same anxiety of before, seemed to snap out of whatever trance held him and nodded, looking particularly shaken.

They ate mostly in silence, and despite the warm, welcoming, and friendly atmosphere the little diner gave off, it was an awkward silence. Neither seemed able to meet the others' eyes. Karkat was the first to finally speak and break the silence. "So what's this concert really for? Like, what charity?"

John glanced up at him from looking down at his meal, which he'd been picking at with a half-heartedness that was most unlike him. Almost as soon as their eyes met, blue darted back down to the plate in front of them once again. "It's for cancer research, you know, normal stuff like that. That and STDs are what most charities are for these days, right?" He looked back up to discover Karkat's guard had dropped for a moment, and his red eyes were searching John's face worriedly. The musician squirmed under his gaze, but didn't look away. When Karkat realized he'd been staring, he dropped his gaze quickly, and silence reigned once more.

The car ride to the park wasn't much better. Silence filled the space, weighing on each heavily for their own reasons.

Karkat had never actually been to the park before, and this was simply a matter of fact for him. He'd always been satisfied with putting on a pair of sunglasses to protect his eyes (which he had before he'd gone onto the porch to wait for John and had them on since, with the exception of when they'd been in the diner) and going out into the gardens. He'd believed that they were as good as any park would ever get, but this park proved him wrong.

He hardly doubted every park was let thrive like this, everything fresh and green, life seeming to spring from every corner. The only changes that seemed to have been made by man was the space cleared out near the front of the park for gatherings and concerts just such as this, with the addition of a small stage (upon which a piano, a baby grand, had been placed for the occasion), picnic tables, and a shelter for if it rained and there happened to be a small party. But the sense he got from the park just gave the sense of _life_; whereas the air outside the diner had made him feel at home and quite tame, this air made him feel a bit giddy and filled him with a strange want to run and jump around until he collapsed.

"Pretty cool, right?" John seemed immediately back to himself as he appeared behind Karkat to chirp this into his ear. "Come on, I have thirty minutes to get ready! You can get a good place by the stage, okay?"

Karkat almost snapped at him that he didn't care about this stupid show, he'd just go sit in the shelter and wait until it was over, but he didn't have the heart when he saw John's face, so he just flipped up the hood of his hoodie, nodded, and followed.

* * *

It was so worth it.

The albino boy was sure his awe showed on his face despite the sunglasses he was obligated to wear so as not to be blinded by the fading sunlight or lights of the stage itself. No, he knew for sure it showed, because he knew he couldn't hide emotions that bubbled up in him like this, when that tune could catch attention, the melody scoop a soul up and carry it away like the words of a lullaby. Both lulling and exciting at the same time, pace seeming ever-changing, not a dull moment. It was addictive, almost as much so as Sburb. He didn't doubt that if he recorded this and watched it on repeat for an hour or two he'd count it better for working out his nerves privately than watching a romcom.

He kept falling, falling, and he knew soon he was going to hit rock bottom and probably get hurt, and he didn't have the power to stop himself.

When the song was over, Karkat found himself jumping out from a state rather like he was in-between a drug-induced sleep and wakefulness. John most definitely deserved all the complimenting words society had ever labeled him with- no, Karkat corrected his own thoughts, prodigy pianist didn't even begin to describe that kind of talent. He felt something in his chest tighten and grow warm as John stood and sought out his eyes, and only when he found them, even behind his sunglasses, did he grin at the audience and bow. He felt, somehow, that that was a private smile, only for him, though.

The ride to take Karkat home was also silent, but it was more from a sleepy contentedness in both of them, and it was most definitely more comfortable. Karkat forgot himself and began nodding off halfway there, so that by the time they arrived he was asleep and had to be prodded awake. He blushed at this, but denied it when John teased, which only made him blush more.

He was walked to the door, and they faced each other as they said their goodbyes.

John was leaning down and closer, just slightly.

On instinct, Karkat went rigid for a moment, then, after the moment of silence that followed where neither moved, he finally brought his lips up to meet John's. It was briefly perfect as John kissed back, sweet and familiar, no matter how shortly they'd known each other. Then John broke away with wide blue eyes which shone with a sort of wild fear, and he backed away, stammering apologies, tears beginning to trail down his face.

As his car pulled away, Karkat watched until he could see it no more, hardly noticing his own tears. He suddenly turned and kicked the door as hard as he could, fighting back a choked sob. "Goddammit, Karkat!" he screeched at himself, pulling at his own snowy hair as hatred for himself filled his heart. He hurriedly went to unlock the door after a moment, not wanting any of the employees of the house to catch him like this, slamming the door brutally and locking it shut behind him. He ran upstairs with heavy steps, throat feeling restricted, lungs tight.

Sburb. He needed Sburb.

_**Okay, send me hate for angst now, haha. **_

**Really, I'm sorry, but this ending to this chapter has been stuck in my head ever since I thought about the idea for it three chapters ago. You guys, I promise, though, the next chapter, you'll like better. I swear. **

**-Silver**


	8. Chapter 8

Fame and Games

Chapter 8: Learning the Unknown

Karkat was decidedly upset for a few days, and said nothing about it to anyone on Sburb or otherwise, not even Gamzee. The only person he wanted to talk to was John, and that was to apologize a million times then excuse himself so he never had to face him again out of shame. He felt the building pressure it was creating on his mind, though, intensified by the fact that John had called in sick- to the home phone instead of Karkat's cell phone, no less, answered by a maid- and said he might not be able to make the next couple of practices, definitely not the Saturday one, and to tell Karkat he was sorry.

Then came Monday afternoon, a day thankfully clear, this week, of any extracurricular activities. He went on to Sburb almost immediately when he arrived back home, skipping homework for once and ready to take out more stress, but it was getting to the point where he'd started physically breaking things, though at this point they were things of little value. When he got on, he almost cursed- EB was the only one on, and he'd been trying to avoid duo campaigns with him, seeing that he had a crush on him as well as the one who'd pretty much crushed his heart Friday, and it only made everything sting more.

Before he could select to go on a solo campaign, fly on his own for a little while on some five-star mission or other, a message popped onto his screen._ EB has invited you into a campaign, a_long with a short summary of the mission and two choices, decline or accept. Karkat was sorely tempted to tell EB to fuck off, but then he suddenly realized what a good chance this was for him to talk to someone about what had happened, and for some reason he wanted that someone to be EB this time around.

He clicked accept and his avatar was transported into the world they were campaigning in, LOFAF, the Land of Frost and Frogs. He started up conversation casually- casually meaning, cursing at the imps and ogres and throwing insults EB's way. Then, slowly, he started dropping hints that something was wrong, almost without realizing what he was doing. After a few half-hearted attempts to start steering the conversation that way and a few more absent-minded remarks, EB finally seemed to catch on.

EB: cg, is something wrong?

Finally, a breakthrough! Jesus, getting it through this kid's thick skull that he wanted to talk emotionally for once had taken longer than Karkat had guessed, almost an hour! How dense could one guy be? Realizing he was inwardly ranting at EB, Karkat sighed and prepared himself to reply and try to explain the situation so EB could see it from his point of view and maybe help him a little.

CG: NO, I'VE JUST BEEN DROPPING HINTS THAT I'M SPIRALING INTO DEPRESSION BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE PRETTY FUCKING FUN. YES, SOMETHING IS WRONG, FUCKASS! THAT FUCKING TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH TO FIGURE IT OUT. I MEAN, I ACTUALLY WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOMETHING EMOTIONALLY FOR ONCE AFTER ALL THE TIMES YOU'VE OFFERED TO HAVE A FEELINGS JAM OR WHAT THE FUCK EVER, AND IT TAKES YOU FOREVER TO REALIZE IT.

EB: hey, calm down. i'm sorry, i'm listening now. what's wrong?

Karkat took a deep breath, putting off writing it for as long as possible. He was surprised to find himself so nervous now that EB was paying attention. Maybe it was because he was afraid that if he admitted that it had happened, out loud or in writing, the frightening realization would finally hit him full-force, and he would have to quit hoping that it was just a bad dream, a nightmare. He prepared himself for a moment, then began to type again.

CG: OKAY, FUCKASS, PLEASE KEEP YOUR IDIOTIC COMMENTS TO YOURSELF UNTIL I FINISH.

CG: THERE WAS THIS GUY, AND I KNOW GOOD AND GODDAMN WELL HOW CLICHÉ THAT SOUNDS, BUT DO I REALLY LOOK LIKE I GIVE A FUCK?

CG: IT WAS ACTUALLY MY PIANO TUTOR. HE INVITED ME TO GO TO A BENEFIT CONCERT WITH HIM AND EAT BEFOREHAND. IT WAS ACTUALLY A CONCERT WHERE HE STARRED. IT WAS REALLY NICE, A LOT LIKE A DATE, AND I ACTUALLY HAD TO KEEP WAKING MYSELF UP TO THE FACT THAT IT REALLY WASN'T.

CG: THE REAL PROBLEM WAS AFTER THE CONCERT, AND HE DROPPED ME OFF AT HOME. THE LITTLE FUCKASS HAD TO BE A GENTLEMAN AND WALK ME TO MY DOOR, AND AFTER WE BOTH SAID GOODBYE THERE WAS THIS AWKWARD SILENCE, AND WE BOTH STOOD THERE LIKE GODDAMN MORONS. THEN HE LEANED DOWN A LITTLE, AND I WAS PRETTY SURE HE WAS WONDERING IF HE SHOULD KISS ME OR NOT, AND YEAH, I'VE PROBABLY BEEN WATCHING TOO MANY FUCKING ROMCOMS, BECAUSE IT WAS ALL MY FAULT.

CG: SO I MADE UP HIS MIND FOR HIM AND KISSED HIM ANYWAY.

Karkat found himself unwilling to write the next part, tears beginning to prick his eyes at the memories being etched freshly into his mind as if it had happened only minutes ago, and this was the gaming session from just after he'd ran upstairs to throw a small tantrum caused by self-loathing.

CG: I'M PRETTY FUCKING SURE I RUINED ANY CHANCE I HAD WITH HIM, BECAUSE HE PRETTY MUCH RAN AWAY, AND THEN I WENT TO MY ROOM AND CRIED A LOT BEFORE GETTING ON TO TAKE OUT MY SELF-HATRED ON IMPS.

CG: SO IN SHORT, PAST ME IS A DOUCHE, I'M NOT MUCH BETTER, AND FUTURE ME IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE EVEN WORSE.

CG: I'M DONE, DIPSHIT.

EB was silent for a long few minutes that seemed to stretch into forever. Karkat worried that he'd chased him away, too. Then four words popped onto his screen in blue, and they made his heart beat suddenly faster as if it wanted to escape his chest.

EB: oh my god.

EB: karkat?

His eyes widened and his jaw worked up and down, trying to form words or some exclamation of surprise as realization began dawning on him, piecing everything together. EB couldn't have known his name, because that would be in violation of the pact they'd all made a while ago for anyone else to tell him. And if that story was the one to make him realize who Karkat was, well, only one other person knew what had happened, and that was...

CG: JOHN?

-ectoBiologist (EB) has logged out-

Karkat's heart sank, and he sat in despair, staring at the loading screen, then the home screen. Yeah, he'd really screwed up this time. Falling for two guys who were actually the same guy. No matter how much it made sense, it was also confusing and only increased his amount of self-loathing.

_Great job, Vantas. _

* * *

"John, where are you going?" Jade looked up from completing her homework as her older brother grabbed his car keys from the stand by the couch and rushed past, hurriedly putting on his jacket and running his hands through his messy hair to try to tame it some degree, only succeeding in making it worse. "Late for some kind of date? Whatever you do, don't make her watch Nic Cage or Matthew McConaughey on the first date, or she'll hate you."

"I'm going to apologize," he said solemnly, and then he was out the door.

Behind him, Jade let herself smile. After all, she was his little sister and occasional confidante; she knew, and Rose knew, and Dave knew. They were his friends, and on that subject, she'd be calling them in a few minutes to let them know, but only after she was sure he had gone.

* * *

The maid that let him in seemed surprised, and even pointed out that he wasn't expected back for lessons until the following day. He gave her a charming smile and told her that he was here as Karkat's friend, and politely asked to come inside. As he stepped into the main hall, he also inquired as to the whereabouts of Karkat's rooms. Still seeming a little stunned that he'd broken schedule (for schedule was ever-so-impotant to most in the Vantas household), she stammered directions, and he was gone.

When he was sure he'd found the right room (if the worrying and unusual silence behind this door, added to the dents in it from being kicked over the past few days, were anything to go by) he slowly and silently turned the knob and opened the thankfully well-oiled door. He avoided making any sound as he closed it behind him, and he was surprised to see that no on was in the room, but it looked as though it had been ransacked, at least partially.

In the silence, he finally noticed the sound of running water, and turned his attention to one of the three doors in the rather large room, one of which he'd just come through, the one he was facing seeming to be the source of the sound of water. He approached cautiously, the silence beginning to make his skin crawl with foreboding. He raised a hand to the door and rapped his knuckles against the wood; no answer.

Feeling panicky now, he tried the doorknob without any regard for what kind of embarrassing encounter might ensue. All that he could think of was how worrying this development was, and how he needed to hold Karkat until he felt better, and how he hoped he was safe. When he entered the room, he immediately saw the shower growing with curtains drawn back, and a motionless shape lay on the tub.

John rushed to Karkat's side, ignoring the ice-cold water washing over his head or how wet his shirt was as he picked him up and set him gently on the floor. Only after he was out from under the cold jet did John bother to turn it off. Without a second thought, he rid Karkat of the soaking and cold clothing he still wore (he looked over his pale skin for signs of harm as he did, but nothing), then wrapping his still body in the most definitely warmer and dryer towels. He quickly began to dry the boy's hair with another towel, then picked him up again and carried him into the bedroom.

There, he was set carefully on the bed, John wrapping him in two layers of thick blankets before putting his own arms around the albino and resisting the urge to cry, knowing nothing else to do. Should he get a servant, or call 911, or wait? He was so lost in his worried and confused thoughts that he didn't notice the boy in his arms stirring slowly until a small sound came from him. "Huh... whosat..."

The pianist let out a choked cry of relief, and he tightened his embrace on Karkat, running the fingers of one hand through his hair. "Ssshhh," he murmured, partially to himself, partially to Karkat. "CG, it's EB. It's ectoBiologist."

This seemed to wake the smaller boy quite well, but either he was too shocked to move, or he was enjoying it too much. "Holy shit, John," he said hoarsely. "How did you get in?"

"Maid," John murmured, planting a small kiss on top of Karkat's head, making him stiffen. "Karkat, what happened? Please tell me you weren't trying to kill yourself, Karkat."

"No!" he said defensively, shaking his head quickly. "I..." He trailed off uncertainly, unconsciously snuggling deeper into John's arms. "I felt so numb. I thought the cold water might be good to show myself that I could still feel, but I ended up crying until I passed out or something, I guess." Then he looked up at John with a little frown. "Why are you even here? I though you hated me now or some shit."

"I don't hate you," John sighed, placing his forehead on Karkat's and staring into his eyes. "I was really confused. I had been for a little while. But over the past few days, I've talked to some people, and they helped me sort out my emotions. I've thought for a long time that I was just straight, and realizing I liked a guy? Karkat, that was scary, seeing you and having my heart race every single time. I thought it would take a lot longer than this to get over it, too, but thanks to that push you gave me in the right direction on Friday, I think that, if you're still up for it, I'd like to go out with you on an official date. How does that sound?" He brushed a piece of Karkat's hair back, behind his ear.

There was a short pause as red eyes searched blue, frowning in concentration and familiarity of the facial expression. Finally, his gaze lightened a little. "Perfect," the paler sighed, though it was a sigh of content. Cautiously, he moved forward a little so his lips just barely brushed John's, evidently still scared that he would run. However, this time John was the one to initiate the real kiss, and everything was once again perfect.

That was, until Karkat realized his clothes were no longer on his being. He pulled away from the kiss and looked at his new boyfriend with wide eyes, then asked him outright, "John, where the fuck are my clothes, and why the hell am I not wearing them?"

**Better ending than last time? :'D **

**I'm also wondering if I should make an AO3 account to post these stories there as well. Any thoughts from my lovely readers? **

**Also, if you'd like to contact me with questions about the story, any at all, feel free to PM me or contact me on PesterChum (venomousPoet). I don't bite, but I usually don't contact first, either. :'3**

**Happy reading! **

**-Silver**


	9. Chapter 9

Fame and Games

Chapter 9: Confession

"Wait, that _douche_ is your best friend?" Karkat gawked at John disbelievingly. "Dave? How do you even stand him?" It was sometime during the evening after Karkat's piano lesson Tuesday, and they were sitting in his room with a bowl full of popcorn, a bag of chips, a couple of sodas, and some of Karkat's shitty, cheesy romcoms. "And, hold on. If you're really EB, then Jade is your sister, right? Damn, you guys look nothing alike! She's so... Asian! And you're not!" He was staring at John with complete disbelief. "It's not possible."

John grinned. "It is so possible, Karkat. I told you, we don't have the same mom. Wow, I can't believe it took you almost a whole day to figure that out!" He frowned as Karkat sneezed and cuddled closer to him, wrapping an arm tight around his shoulders. He'd been sick since the shower incident yesterday, even if he didn't really say anything about it, but John wouldn't worry him about it as long as it didn't seem to be getting any worse. He guessed that Karkat wouldn't like that to be pointed out and treated as any kind of weakness, even if it wasn't.

"Well, sorry!" the paler said once he was done sneezing, rolling his eyes. "All that really connects you guys are your hair colors and annoyingly chipper attitudes, dumbass. It's like you both have the abilities to pull fucking grins out of thin air and plaster them on the faces of people who just want to be left alone and don't feel like smiling." Seeing the bothered look on John's face at this, he quickly added, "If I stop all this sneezing before tomorrow, I have a baseball game at five. Last one of the season. You should come see me take out my anger on innocent baseballs, fuckass. Even though it never really helps." He sank a little deeper into John's arms, settling his head on his chest.

There was a short silence before John piped up, bright and hopeful, with a bucktoothed grin on his face, giving Karkat his best puppy-dog look. "Any chance you want to tell me about the rest of our group, Mister Grumpy-Butt?"

"First of all, Egbert, how the hell would you know if my butt is grumpy? Maybe it just doesn't like you!" Karkat said with more than a hint of sarcasm, rolling his eyes. "Secondly, that would be taking our pact and ripping it to shreds before our very eyes, and you're the one who first enforced it upon all of us by your terrible wrath, oh Mister Great-And-Powerful-Lord-Of-The-Gaming-Realm. If you just cut the shit and faced up to your _best friends_, we'd like you for who you are, not some stupid fucking title media has bestowed upon your stupid head." He suddenly stopped, seeming to remember something, and pulled away from John to stare into his face. "Okay, shitstain, you're coming as my date to the meeting this Saturday. We're going to surprise everyone and make a big fucking show about it, and you're going to happily enjoy your friends and the company they give you, and you _are_ going to affectionately cuddle your stupid albino boyfriend in public. You are going to enjoy yourself and give no fucks about your own pianist career for a change, do you hear me?"

John nodded, raising his eyebrows in slight surprise- but of course, knowing Karkat like he felt he surely did (Having recently learned they'd been playing Sburb together for three years, of course!), he wasn't actually particularly stunned with his words or actions. After a couple of seconds, he was grinning again, then he was laughing. "Ha! Yeah, Karkat, of course. I think that if you're there, I'll be fine. Besides, it's not really like most of them will actually know who I am, right? I mean, Rose is probably the only one, haha! Man, I still can't believe I dated her, though, and now she's with GA and I'm with you…. It feels more natural like this for some reason. Rose is a good person to talk to about emotions and problems and stuff, but I feel more like I connect with you."

He leaned forward to place a light kiss on the tip of Karkat's nose, making his pale face flush bright red. He turned back to the screen and mumbled something inaudible, but John thought it sounded a lot like "I love you." Then a sound of rushing air came from him as he blew a puff of air from his cheeks, making a sound similar to a sigh, but not quite. John combed careful fingers through Karkat's hair and said, "Hey, have you ever considered dying your hair? I think black hair would look good on you. Not that I don't like your hair now, it's really unique, especially since it's your natural hair color. You kinda look like you'd be someone from an anime that I would've watched when I was younger, like Inuyasha or something."

Karkat's reply was a soft snort that may or may not have been meant as a laugh, or maybe even a sound of scorn (teasing scorn, though, John reminded himself). "Haha, very funny, Egbert. I am the very personification of Inuyasha himself. I hardly even know who that fucking is! I don't really watch animes, dipshit. I actually tried watching that one when I was about ten, but it was such a piece of shit that I couldn't keep watching it." Another huff of breath emerged from his lungs, and John frowned.

"Karkat, are you okay?"

"Oh, ladies and gentlemen, the completely oblivious fuckass finally notices! Give him a hand!" Karkat sighed, though he leaned even more into John with these words, trying to hold in a few weak, bare-there coughs. "Yes, John, something is bothering me. Yeah, I was just thinking…." He frowned- or at least, his usual frown deepened. "I want you to help me tell my dad and brother that we're going out. I don't think they'll really mind, but you already said that your dad has no problem with it, and maybe your courage could rub off on me or something. Not that I don't already have enough of my own, but nobody ever went wrong with a little extra bravery."

A soft smile crossed John's face before it evolved into a full-blown encouraging grin. "Come on, Karkat! I'm sure they'll be fine with it." He stood and pulled Karkat up with him, grabbing the remote from where Karkat had earlier set it and pausing the movie. (Not that they'd been paying much attention to it.) "Come on, might as well do this now while we're thinking about it! I'm sure it'll be fine, Karkat, come on!" He pulled Karkat along with him, walking backwards with a slight skip in his step.

The smaller boy had to admit, his enthusiasm was terribly catching, and he soon found himself resisting the urge to smile back at John. Eventually, he began leading the way himself, since John had no idea how to navigate the entirety of the house (yet, he claimed, yet!) and Karkat didn't feel like trailing behind him forever while they went in pointless circles. They eventually reached his father's office, where they were met with the sound of two voices conversing behind the door.

Karkat fearlessly and without hesitation raised his hand and pounded on the door to his father's study. "Dad, Kankri, I know that's just you guys in there, you don't have any Tuesday appointments this late!" He glared at the door (after coughing a couple of times after that yelling) until it was flung open with a powerful force.

"Karkat! What have I told you about interrupting our business meetings? That could trigger anger in many businessmen, even if you are related to them!" Kankri berated his little brother, who just waved it off and peered behind him at their father, seated behind a desk with a look of mild amusement on his face. Kankri seemed to finally notice John, and his eyebrows lifted a bit in surprise, then he gave a short nod and stepped back. "I assume it's important, then, if your tutor is involved."

"Yeah, it fu- kinda is," Karkat snapped, having to cut himself off before he began streaming obscenities, striding into the study. Getting a closer look a closer look at Karkat's father, John was able to see similarities in their facial structures, though Kankri and Mr. Vantas looked more similar, since they both had what seemed to be the family's actual trademark; black hair and dark brown eyes, along with skin that wasn't quite a right tone to be entirely Caucasian, though John could only really guess at their heritage, since it looked like with time whatever it was had been worn out of their bloodline until it barely showed. John liked the way Karkat looked even more now, though- being different from the rest of his family made him seem even more wonderful and original than before.

"John?" Karkat was nudging him in the ribs with his elbow, which was actually pretty painful. Boy, did Karkat have a sharp elbow! He focused back on Karkat and smiled apologetically, willing his boyfriend to continue with whatever he was saying silently, having zoned out in favor of comparing the Vantases. Karkat took a deep breath and turned to his father. "Dad, I think I'm old enough to know what's good for my future, and in all honesty, I think I've found something better than most are lucky enough to have. It's an once-in-a-lifetime thing, and John here helped me find it." Karkat took a deep breath. "We're going out now. Turns out we've known each other for almost three years and didn't realize it, because we met on a game website. And I think I love him. If you can't support that, then so be it. I'll find a job and some other place to live."

"My dad would accept him, even If you wouldn't," John said pointedly, clearly offering.

Kankri and Mr. Vantas were silent for a moment, staring at them; then they exchanged a look and smiled.

"My little brother is finally growing up," Kankri said, seeming satisfied as he ruffled Karkat's white hair, though not without a menacing scowl from the boy himself.

"Would you like to join us for dinner tonight, so I can meet my apparent future son-in-law?" Mr. Vantas invited kindly, looking at John and clapping an affectionate hand on the shoulder of Karkat, who blushed lightly at the statement he'd made. John just laughed; he knew a good prank when he saw one, even if it was subtle. Those could be the best ones!

"I'd like to accept your invitation, Mister Vantas," John said politely, smiling, "but I'd have to call my dad first to see if it's okay."

"Then by all means, go on ahead," Mister Vantas said, nodding in his direction. "Your answer needs to be had as soon as possible, so we can tell the staff. While you're at it, why don't you ask your old man if you can come to Karkat's game tomorrow? It's the last one of the season."

Two hours later, John was dining with a surprisingly friendly family of Vantases, and all seemed perfectly right with the world. _Nothing_ could go wrong.

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, my friends. ^^ PesterChum is still an open invitation, by the way! I live by Eastern Standard Time, so if you feel the need to contact me after this chapter (due to confusion or somesuch, or if you just want to chat, I don't care) good times to contact me would be between twelve and seven. I should be on most of the time during those hours. (Nothing much to do this Saturday, ha.) **

**-Silver**


	10. Chapter 10

Fame and Games

Chapter 10: Games, Dates, and Flirting

Loud cheering filled the stands, quite a big portion of it coming from a group of four perched on the stands together. John, Jade, Dave, and Rose, who had come to see the game together, were cheering pretty loudly, their voices able to be heard over most of the others of people who'd come to see their friend's and family's last game of the season. Mr. Vantas and Kankri were both absent from the stands, but it really didn't surprise John, or any of his friends, to his surprise. When he thought about it, it made him jealous that there was a chance they knew Karkat better than he did in some ways because they'd been seeing him in person longer, even though they assured him that Karkat was probably more open with him than he'd ever be with them (and that he'd seemed the most irked when John never showed up to the meetings).

John shifted to get a better look as his sister suddenly said, "Look, Karkat's up to bat!" She was taller than him, and it was kind of hard for him to see anything near home plate due to the rather tall gentleman in front of him. Moving sideways a bit, towards Dave ("Hey man, if you wanted to sit in my lap you could've said so." "Shut up, I'm just trying to see!"), he could see much better, and there was no mistaking the figure with the sunglasses on to protect his eyes, an excess of sunscreen to protect him from burning mixed with sweat from the heat of the day causing a sheen to cover his skin. His head seemed to turn, as if searching for someone in the stands; John smiled and waved, and he thought he saw the other slightly nod before turning his head back to the pitcher.

Before John really knew it, there was a loud crack as the ball was thrown and met wood. It sailed through the air, and Karkat dropped the bat and ran. John's jaw dropped; _damn_, that boy was fast! He ran like there were hellhounds on his trail, and the hard hit he'd landed on the ball made it go sailing over many of the player's heads into the outfield. Next thing anyone knew, it was going, going- gone! and Karkat had gotten a home run. This time, when he looked into the stands, John was sure Karkat's eyes met his from behind the protective sunglasses, because he saw the smile on his face that only he could recognize because it was so small.

The rest of the game lasted about twenty minutes, that specific turn of Karkat's to bat having been about halfway through. When it was over, John was the first to jump up and run down to congratulate Karkat, ignoring how absolutely sweaty he was to put him on the receiving end of a patented Egbert bear-hug (though Harley bear-hugs were something on another level altogether). Besides how drenched Karkat was, John also made an effort to ignore the dirty looks of some of the people around them that just screamed "Ew you homosexual fucks, stop being freaks of nature." Silly homophobes didn't matter to him, he had Karkat now.

"Hey, you guys done being gay?" The comment came from Dave's voice as he and the others arrived behind them, having opted to walk like sane people instead of jumping up and running like John had. John could easily see through his best bro's monotone voice and tell that he was teasing, though; pleased, even, for the both of them. He had it on good authority (by which he meant through Rose and Jade) that even though they acted like douches to each other onscreen, in the real world they got along fairly well. John was glad to know that; he didn't want his best friend and his boyfriend to fight.

John parted from the hug only to retain some grip on Karkat through an arm slung around his shoulder, and he wore a grin as he replied to Dave, "I will never be done being gay now, Dave. Never. I've spent too long rejecting my gayness, and now I must embrace my gay roots wholeheartedly. I am permanently gay now. You have lost me to the gay side."

"No, that just means I can whisk you off your feet away from Karkat now that you have accepted you are way more into the gorgeous asses of men than of women," Dave said, slipping his arm around John's waist teasingly, though he was clearly watching Karkat for his reaction. He was beginning to scowl more deeply than usual, clenching his fists as if he didn't realize this was simply playful banter.

Rose was the one to clear the air as she gently tugged her cousin away from John. "Now, now, best to give the new lovers some space. I am aware that Karkat has been in relationships with both genders before, but this is John's first relationship with a male. We must encourage him to settle into his newly found sexual orientation while also giving him so space. Besides, Strider, I hardly doubt anyone wants to see _your_ ass." This last part was clearly a charming tease at her cousin as she smirked at him, daring him to make a comeback.

"This sweet ass? Dearest cousin, everyone wants a piece of this ass. It is a coveted ass. Men and women everywhere swoon every time their eyes come in visual contactwith it. A fucking cult was built in religious honor of this ass, Lalonde. It is perfection."

"Okay, you guys, break it up!" Jade was holding back giggles as she stepped between them. "That was a nice round of cousin flirting, but I think we have a celebratory dinner to go to!" Jade grinned, her buckteeth almost, but not quite, matching up to John's. "Everyone did remember to tell their dates to come, right?"

"Woah, wait, what the hell? Where are the fuck are we going, Harley? I have to go home and get a shower, do you even know how gross all this sweat and sunscreen feels, really damn gross, that's how gross. I need to get it all off and change out of this disgusting uniform," Karkat objected.

"I'll drive you home if you don't want to go," John offered with a half-smile. "Seeing as your game ended a little early and you can call your dad and tell him not to send the car to pick you up. I didn't even really know this was going on, actually." He glanced over at the others suspiciously. "When did you guys even decide all of this? Was it when I was giving Karkat the greatest victory hug in the history of ever? And I would also like to know where it is that we are all supposedly going."

"Hush child, and come along for the ride," Dave said, in a voice that John supposed was supposed to be ironically sage-like but ended up making him sound like an idiot. As usual, his "ironic humor" that supposedly made him cool like his bro actually made him look and sound like a dork.

"We're going to Olive Garden!" Jade chirped, effectively covering up Dave's comment and ignoring it like it was nothing before anyone had a chance to say a thing. "We're each paying for our own meals, though, so I guess we really should have told you beforehand. But you know now! And hey, John, you'll get to meet three more of the people in our group before Saturday! It's kind of like we're inching you into the waters a little at a time instead of just pushing you in outright." She beamed at her genius metaphor, happy with her own words.

"I also had the foresight to realize we all might need some time to prepare after this," Rose said with a nod. "So when Jade said we had a dinner to go to, she meant to prepare for. We've made the appointment for eight, so we all have approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to prepare and arrive. John, that means that if you so wish, you can drive Karkat home so he can get ready while the rest of us do the same. Is that a proposition we can all agree on, Mister Vantas?"

"Mister Vantas is my dad," Karkat muttered, but he was already calling to let his dad know he didn't need a ride home today.

* * *

"Well don't you look positively spectacular, fuckass." John whirled around at the voice and positively blushed, his entire face turning red. Karkat had obviously emerged from the bathroom fresh from the shower, a towel around his waist and another in his hands, which he was using to towel-dry his hair. "You should get a shower, too, instead of standing there looking adorable while you stare off into space. You said you have a change of clothes, right? Towels are in the third drawer down to the right of the sink." He let the towel he was drying his hair with drop to his shoulders as he went to dig in one of his drawers for clothes suitable for the group date.

John watched him for a moment from his place on the bed before snapping himself out of it and rushing into the bathroom, spare clothes in hand (one learned to have them on hand when one wasn't sure of what would happen that day). He knew Karkat was cute, but _damn_- that was such a tease! He wondered absentmindedly if he'd done that on purpose, but shook the thought from his head. Oh, no. He wasn't going to let his thoughts stray down that road. He was not going to think any of that while the object of his thoughts was in the next room over.

He got in the shower and tried to distract himself with examining the labels of the soaps and hair products Karkat had in the shower as he found it progressively harder to stop himself from thinking such thoughts. Eventually, he decided that he really didn't need conditioner, it was for girls anyways-

That was when a hand snaked around his waist, a body pressed to his back, and a chin settled on his shoulder, all belonging to a single person. "I'm sorry," Karkat sighed, rubbing circles on John's stomach with a gentle finger, causing his gut to flip-flop. "Couldn't help myself. You were right in here, and I couldn't ignore that look you gave me when I walked out of the bathroom. Looked like you were fucking me with your eyes, and really, I have to commend you on your inability to be fucking subtle about it at all."

"W-what the fuck, Karkat," John stammered, his throat going dry, as he turned his head to look at the pale boy. He hadn't even heard him come in, for fuck's sake! And having him pressed against his back like that... He went completely mute as he felt that he wasn't the only one affected by the situation.

Karkat's eyes slid downwards towards John's midsection. "Let me handle that for you."

* * *

John's cheeks were still burning as his hands tightly gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles almost white, as what had happened replayed itself in his head over and over, though he tried to stop it from doing so. It wasn't like it was bad; rather, it was spectacular, but maybe a little too much so. He always managed to stop it before any of the real stuff began in his head, but he still felt like it was enough to turn him on again at any moment.

Karkat, in the passenger seat, seemed unnervingly amused by his flustered stance on things. "It was just a mutual handjob, goddammit John, the way you're acting you'd think we took turns nailing each other into the shower tiles." This caused John's eyes to widen and his jaw to drop, and it took all of his willpower not to stomp on the brakes then and there from shock. "Don't look so surprised, you were there!" He found himself beginning to laugh as he resigned himself to the fact that it had actually happened.

The rest of the car trip they talked animatedly back and forth, John joking around and Karkat mainly being his blunt, crabby self while also incessantly reminding John to keep his eyes on the road so they didn't get themselves killed. When they arrived, they were about ten minutes behind, and the others were waiting to introduce John to their dates.

**Ha, you guys, I bet you loved this chapter. **

**Because I love every last one of you. C: **

**-Silver**


	11. Chapter 11

Fame and Games

Chapter 11: Tav, Rezi, and Kan

John now knew what Jade meant when she said there were too many stairs in their house for AT to come and visit.

He hadn't expected any of those on his team to be so severely impaired. Not that Terezi wasn't any worse off- but he'd expected that, what with Dave talking about her all the time. She wasn't really completely blind; but her eyesight was so bad, glasses couldn't even help her. She'd learned to get by, partially by using a disorder she'd been born with to help her "see" with her other senses, like smell and taste. At first she called it brilliance of the mind, among other glorious titles, but then admitted it was synthesia, a major case of it.

Tavros, though, couldn't do anything about what had happened to him. He was a rather timid-looking boy of what appeared to be Native American heritage, closer in age to John's younger sister than himself. John could see that he was kind, but not bitter. He'd been born without legs, and as they began really talking to each other, he discovered that Tavros's parents were saving up and watching every penny to be able to afford transplants for him, along with the physical therapy afterwards to learn how to use them.

Kanaya was the only one of the three new group members who didn't seem to have any kind of impairment. She was a slim young woman with olive skin and calm jade green eyes. She was actually rather a lot like Rose, and even if some of their opinions clashed, they didn't really seem to be bothered by it. John thought they were absolutely perfect for each other, both voices of reason who didn't push things on others (unless it was truly for the keeping of their own good health).

All of them were nice, though, even if they took a little getting used to. Terezi had a bit of an odd sense of humor, and John found himself being careful to try to not hurt Tavros's feelings or say anything that might be offensive to either him or Dave's girlfriend. He actually did slip up a couple of times with on the part of vision, but Terezi actually didn't seem to mind it at all, laughing it off and telling him that it really didn't matter.

Being there with Karkat only made it better. His angry comments directed at their teammates whenever they teased him, mostly about being together with John now, held some underlying sense of "I care, but I don't want to admit it to anyone." It was adorable and endearing, at least John thought it was, and he found himself hoping the night wouldn't end.

In the middle of eating their meals, Kanaya addressed John, looking directly at him. "You know, John, I did not expect you to realize you liked Karkat so quickly. It was almost painfully obvious, you know. I also cannot believe it took you both so long to realize you'd met in real life through these lessons. You both display the same personalities in real life as you do through Sburb. It just seems a bit unusual to me."

They both flushed at that, knowing it was true. John replied, "I know, but I'm honestly really oblivious. Any of the friends I've known in real life for a while can testify to that!" They all nodded agreement, looking a little amused. "But honestly, I think I was really trying not to notice it. The evidence was all there, and eventually there were too many coincidences to deny. It was a little scary, because I never thought I'd like a guy, and I'd had a crush on Karkat from behind a computer screen for two really long years, even though I didn't even know it myself, or want to know it. I was stupid for thinking gender mattered."

Both of them were completely red-faced by the time John finished, but Kanaya seemed satisfied with this answer. She turned to Tavros and Jade as the girl piped up to ask her a question about someone called Vriska, and why she still wasn't leaving Tavros alone, despite Kanaya apparently having talked to her about it numerous times.

Their group date finally did come to a close. All their merriment halted at around ten. They'd already said their goodbyes, and Karkat and John were driving back to the paler boy's house, when John realized something felt extremely right. It was almost like something had been missing for a long time, and John had finally found it and caught it. It was a feeling he wasn't familiar with, but it was definitely one he could get behind. It was honestly similar to meeting someone he cared about but hadn't seen in a long time, and a gap in his heart had filled up.

He slipped one hand away from the steering wheel and gently grasped Karkat's hand, laying on the armrest between them. He rubbed his thumb over the top of his hand and smiled when he heard Karkat let out a contented little sigh, squeezing John's hand back. "So did you enjoy our first date together?" John finally asked, breaking the comfortable silence. "Our first real, official date, anyway." He glanced at Karkat from the corner of his eyes, only to catch him looking back with a rare and fleeting smile in return. It was all the answer John needed, and Karkat understood that as well.

John stepped out of the car after Karkat as they reached his house, walking him up to his door. When they faced each other this time, John grinned goofily at him again, blue eyes bright. He leaned down, placing his hands on Karkat's hips as the albino returned the gesture, and pressed his lips to Karkat's none too gently. They stayed that way for some time until Karkat ran out of breath and pulled away, both silent for a moment before Karkat spoke.

"I love you, idiot," he said softly, nuzzling into John's chest. Briefly the pianist wondered if he could hear his heart skip a beat, with his ear set so close to it.

"I love you too, Karkat," he replied happily, in that moment completely content.

* * *

John was far happier the next day at school than even he would usually be, and it was very obvious. His teachers all gave him wary looks during the day, as he was wearing a broad grin throughout the day, as if he was plotting some grand prank (which wasn't far-fetched for him). Dave noticed, too, and teased him about it, going so far as to ask in a completely serious tone which of them topped. John flushed uncomfortably at that and protested that they hadn't done something so "dirty" yet, even if it was almost a lie, and Dave seemed to know it, too. His teasing was unusually incessant- he didn't stop until it was time for them to part ways.

Thursday afternoons were specifically reserved for him to practice playing, along with Sunday afternoons, and John knew for a fact that today Karkat was going golfing with his father and brother. John was glad for the chance to distract himself for a couple of hours with practice from the playful harassment he'd received from Dave. It was easy once he started playing, almost but not quite losing his conscious mind in the music, letting himself go.

Suddenly he stopped, shaking himself out of his playing trance, and abruptly stood, going to fetch blank sheet music. Writing music wasn't that hard, he reminded himself, when you had a tune in mind and a key to write it in. Karkat had really liked his performance, too, right? This was going to be perfect, he just knew it! Soon he was working up a draft, scrawling notes onto the paper and playing them when there was enough to check to see if it sounded just so; sometimes balling up his work and throwing it down beside the bench, unsatisfied.

Even though he couldn't write lyrics well, he was a determined writer of sheet music. Perhaps his feelings couldn't be placed into beautiful words, but that didn't mean they couldn't shine in beautiful ways. His mission was to write to Karkat and let him know how he felt, and that's what he intended to do- just in a way that wasn't entirely conventional. John was sure that his boyfriend would understand, though.

A few hours later, Jade entered the piano room to get John for dinner and found he'd exhausted himself writing and fallen asleep on the piano. Paper was scattered around his feet and the bench, evidence of just how vigorously he'd been exerting his mind and his hands in an attempt to catch notes that were so evasive. Already, two pages of neat notes sat upon the stand, but more blank sheets stood at the ready. Jade smiled. She understood, too. John had written music before, but never like this. It was usually a slow process, the one thing for which he only tolerated perfection, and then from himself, taking a few weeks most of the time. This was another level of determination altogether, and she didn't have to think long to know who it was for. She gently shook her brother, trying a half-hearted attempt to wake him. He was completely out.

Jade simply giggled and draped a blanket over his shoulders. She wrote a quick note on a sticky note that told him they'd eaten without him and that his food was in the fridge, and she hoped he didn't mind, he'd really worn himself out. Then she turned and left the room to find her father and tell him that her brother was just too tired to come to dinner.

John slept on, dreaming of his finished song for Karkat.

**So sorry, guys! I had a busy weekend, haha. Friday I got out of school, but I was with a friend all day and we went to a party at our park for a few hours, then we went to Animazement on Saturday, that was my first con and the best day of my life so far! I've already made plans to go next year as well. I was fem!Dave, and my friend was Rainbow Dash, and the people were so nice and polite, I wish it was next year already so I could go again now. :'3 **

**Oh, and if the Gamzee who was "stealing" people at Animazement happens to be surfing the m-rated JohnKat section of ffn, thank you. VwV I was so scared that everyone was silently judging and hating me until you walked up, and that gave me confidence that maybe everyone was really cool about everybody else and it kinda made me feel a little more like I belonged, so thank you. You had a great cosplay, by the way. I'd love it if you contacted me so we could maybe be friends. :'3**

**Another thing: I know my writing's not perfect, I've spotted plenty of errors, grammatical and otherwise, before, so I apologize beforehand. **

**And finally, /whispers back its not gonna work, im not gonna be pushed into gamtav/. Sorry for all you shippers of it, but honestly, I already said I did JadeTav for a friend, I'm not changing it now. Plus, even if it isn't my first choice for Tavros to be paired with her, it's still pretty cute, and I think if they ever got into a relationship together they'd be pretty dedicated to it. Trust me, I like PBJ as much as the next shipper, it's just not a part of this story. **

**-Silver**


	12. Chapter 12

Fame and Games

Chapter 12: Third Gameaversary

The rest of the week flew by in a blur. John finished the song for Karkat Saturday morning, right before he left to pick the other up; it was finally time to meet everyone else. He was admittedly nervous, but rationalized that these were friends he'd known for three years, and that it was no one really new, he was just seeing most of their faces for the first time.

John slipped into his car and revved up the engine. Just before he began pulling out, Jade ran out of the house, yelling for him to wait up, and he groaned, annoyed at himself for forgetting he had to take her along as well, since she wasn't quite old enough for a driver's license herself. He stopped the car and gestured for her to get in the back, but instead she hopped into the passenger seat. "Let's get to the park!" she said eagerly, clearly impatient as she practically bounced in the seat.

"Jade!" John sighed, hitting his head on the back of the seat. "We're picking up Karkat, I already told you that! Can't you sit in the back?" He looked over at her with an exasperated expression only to see her rolling her eyes back with a grin. She loved to irritate him sometimes, but mostly it was just teasing.

"I'll get in the back when we get to Karkat's house! Okay? I might even go to sleep so I don't have to see you two macking on each other's faces." She watched his face turn bright red as she teased him, making her giggle quietly. "Hey, you're not denying that you will! John, are we going to see you and Karkat make out at our three-year picnic?"

"Shut up, Jade, you've spending too much time with Dave. We're not going to make out, and if we did, it definitely wouldn't be in front of you guys. Besides, did you forget that it's my birthday, too?" John grumbled as he started out of the driveway again, shaking his head slightly. He only received an answering giggle to this, and then the two were going down the road, on the way to Karkat's. Only when they halfway there and no more sound had come from Jade did John realize she had fallen asleep, making him sigh. She usually did this; they'd go riding in the car somewhere, and she'd fall asleep almost as soon as the key was in the ignition.

Karkat was waiting for them on the porch, and John shook Jade awake, frowning. "Hey, we're here!" he said loudly, trying in vain to get her to wake up. She remained sleeping like a log in the passenger seat as Karkat approached the car. He took one look in and seemed to realize someone was already up front, so he went to the driver's side back door and entered the car.

"Sorry, Jade's completely out I tried to get her to sit in the back before we left home. She always does this," John muttered apologetically. Karkat didn't seem to mind as he wrapped his arms around John from behind the seat, leaning up to kiss his cheek and nuzzle his shoulder gently, a small, content smile on his face.

"I missed you," he said softly, sitting back and buckling up. John grinned at that, having learned over the past few days that Karkat seemed to secretly be a hopeless romantic. He doubted that if Jade were awake Karkat would've done that, so he didn't entirely mind her sleeping either. "And can you spend the night tonight? I want to spend some alone time with you after the picnic since it's your birthday today, too, and I have a present for you."

The young man driving grinned broadly at that. "Wow! Someone actually remembered!" he said in mock surprise, laughing. "Thanks, Karkat. I'm sure Dad will let me spend the night, I'll just get my stuff when I drop Jade off at home." He was actually a little genuinely shocked that anyone remembered, what with the excitement over their third anniversary playing the game together and all. It wasn't all that uncommon, actually. Half of their group usually forgot his birthday, but he never got bitter over that, just that he didn't have the nerve to face his friends on a special day.

"You don't have to bring clothes." His jaw dropped and his face reddened as Karkat's voice sounded softly in his ear, and he spluttered out unintelligible words as he kept himself from slamming on brakes, his eyes widening but not seeing the road for a moment. It certainly didn't help when those words brought to mind their Wednesday night experience, and what made it even worse was when Karkat rubbed soft fingers against John's neck from behind, drawing them up until they reached behind his ears, where he massaged gently. John bit back a soft whimper and shook his head, sternly telling himself no- even if Jade wasn't in the car, he was driving!

He shook Karkat off, knowing he was probably grinning at the apparent effect his teasing had had on John by his bright face. "Stop, Karkat, I'm driving! Do you want to get in a wreck or something? I want you to stay safe, honestly, but do you know how much of a distraction that is? I don't want any of us to get hurt, especially not you." He was being unusually stern, and as they reached a stoplight, he looked into the rearview mirror at Karkat with a firm gaze.

He instantly cringed and felt terrible at the same time. Karkat seemed to have expected this and was glaring right back. "I was only joking with you, dumbass," he said when he saw that John was looking back. "Don't take it so damn literally. Can't you fucking control yourself? Oh, I'm sorry, you're apparently the one with the bigger sex drive, so anything remotely sexual I say immediately results in you believing I'm implying fucking on the spot."

Properly cowed, John's eyes focused back on the road as he furrowed his brow and shook his head. "That's not what I meant, Karkat. I'm really sorry. Really. Please don't be mad. We still have to let everyone else know we're going out, right? Let's be happy about it when we tell them! Plus you already made me promise to cuddle you today! And it was wrong of me to take it that way. I'm sorry." John smiled weakly back at him, glancing into the rearview again with eyes pleading for forgiveness.

After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, Karkat relented. "Yeah, apology accepted. I was being an ass about it too, and I really should've known better than to act like a needy gay guy while you're driving. I mean, even if I really was, I shouldn't act on while you're _driving_, I should at least wait until you're parked." He was blushing now, John noticed as he took another glance into the mirror. "And until we're alone, I mean, even if she is sleeping, your sister's right fucking there!"

John chuckled as he pulled into the parking lot by the park. "Yeah, well, she's about to be awake. Help me wake her up, won't you?" He looked over to make sure that she was still asleep, and sure enough, her breathing was still the soft breath of one who was in the land of dreams. He shook her while Karkat snapped at her to "wake the fuck up, Harley" as he got out of the car. Nothing really seemed to work until Karkat finally gave up and slammed his door loudly shut, and the girl jumped awake.

"I'm up!" she squeaked, making John laugh. She then gave him a cross look, but he understood she was only pretending to be mad, especially when she burst out into laughter as she unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car, beaming. She ran over to the shelter, where the picnic tables had been moved to form one big table for all of them. Karkat stepped towards John and held out a hand for him when he saw him looking nervously at the figures already at the tables.

"I'm here," he said comfortingly, squeezing John's hand gently. "Come on, they're just our friends." He pulled John towards them and gave the most encouraging look he could muster. John could see that they'd already been noticed by the people at the table as they pointed their way as he looked nervously over Karkat's shoulder at them. He took a deep breath and straightened up, striding as confidently as he could after Karkat.

As they approached, there were numerous loud greetings and exclamations. Some even stood and approached them, one being a girl with platinum blond and one blue eye, the other hidden by a pane of black glass or perhaps plastic in her glasses. "So we finally get to meet our elusive co-leader! You're kinda cute, EB!" she exclaimed, tossing her hair over her shoulder then holding out her hand for a shake, obviously ignoring Karkat and John's intertwined fingers. "I'm arachnidsGrip, you know, AG. Otherwise known as Vriska Serket." John used his free hand to shake hers and gave her a polite nod, appearing oblivious to her flirting.

Karkat wasn't fooled, though. He'd been around Vriska in person enough to know what kind of games she was playing right now, and that she was obviously trying to make a move on John or something of the sort. He wasn't stupid, and knew what kind of person she could be. He nudged John gently with his albow and muttered to him, "Go on, introduce yourself. And I think you should be the one to tell them about, you know..." He gripped John's hand a little tighter to show what he meant.

John understood and nodded, looking up at everyone else as they crowded around to welcome him into their group officially. He cleared his throat and held up his and Karkat's hands, causing a hush to fall over everyone. "So, I'm ectoBiologist, EB, John, whatever you want to call me," he said, sounding a little nervous as he shifted on his feet a bit and dropped their hands to their sides. "But yeah, my real name is John, Jade's my sister, I've known Rose and Dave in real life for a while now, and Karkat and I recently became boyfriends." He grinned sheepishly and waved with his free hand, while some stared at him in shock, and Vriska outright glared at Karkat.

Then the chorus of greeting started anew, along with teasing and gleeful congratulations from almost everyone. Everyone, that was, except Vriska, who glowered at them angrily for a few moments then stormed off towards a path in the woods. No one really seemed to notice or care that she was gone in all the excitement. John was even happy enough to sweep Karkat into his arms and give him a soft, sweet kiss, causing AC, well, Nepeta, to squeal in delight (she, being the couples expert that she was, having seen their shared feelings almost the moment they started).

The rest of the day was filled with getting used to each other, laughter, and reminiscing on the old days. Vriska eventually returned and sat by Kanaya with a scowl, and it seemed her friend turned her attention away from Rose for a moment to calm her down and reason with her. Eventually, everyone was happy, and all was well. To John, this was one of the best days he'd ever had. Not only that, but he already knew it was going to end perfectly, too- one way or another, he was sure he'd be falling asleep in Karkat's arms.

**Oh Christ, that sexual tension. No, no smut for you guys yet. YET.**

**This's been in the works for a while, but I kept getting distracted, then I was out of town with practically no computer, but here I am! Definitely not abandoning this story, hoping to update faster. I also have another AU idea already, aren't I great, haha? Of course it's JohnKat, that's like, all I write now. It's Fairystuck, okay. Fairies, yeah, but warriors and all that jazz, and some cliches, but hey! **

**Basically, every few generations four are born in control of one of twelve elements/concepts, these four being the beta kids. They're in danger from the enemy constantly after they're found to hold these powers, though, so they're allowed to choose a guardian out of the ranks of elite warriors, mainly by first-impression pull. Each of the "gifted ones" finds themselves falling for their respective guardians. There will be JohnKat, duh, and also GamDave, JadeNep, and Rosemary. Maybe some other pairings, but those are the ones I've decided on so far. They're classed based on the shape, color, and marking of their wings- which they don't find out until they're about sixteen, when they begin changing. Until then, they're pretty much translucent and useless.**

**(Sorry for rambling, I'll make up for it with awkward first-time smut later, I'm talking full-on "oh god did I break you are you okay" awkward.)**

**-Silver**


	13. Chapter 13

Fame and Games

Chapter 13: Saturday Night at Karkat's  


John had a tight hold on his steering wheel, grinning broadly while feeling giddy. He and Karkat had just dropped Jade off and okayed it with John's dad that he could spend the night. John had half-expected his dad to say no, since he was aware of their relationship and that was actually the first time he'd met Karkat in person, but apparently, he believed they were both worthy of his trust. Karkat had seemed a bit surprised, but pleased, and John was happy that they got along.

After a quick call to double-check with Karkat's dad, everything worked out, and they were on their way to Karkat's mansion. As John pulled into the long drive to the place, Karkat, who was in the passenger seat, glanced over with a tiny smile. "I really can't wait for you to see your gift," he said quietly as he looked back outside."I think you'll like it, I really do. I almost want to tell you now, but then it would ruin the surprise." John noticed Karkat's knee was actually bouncing with his excitement, even if he wore his usual expression as he gazed over the scenery that was on either side of the long driveway.

"Hey, Karkat," John suddenly said, smiling as he pulled in the circular drive in front of the walkway to the porch. "I have a surprise for you, too. I want to give you my surprise after, though, okay? I want you to have a little time to let it sink in, because that's really the kind of thing it is." He gave Karkat a warm smile as he took his hand and brought it gently to his lips before setting it down and getting out of the car, grabbing his bag of stuff from the backseat so he wouldn't have to come get it later.

Karkat was unlocking the door when he said, "I already talked to your dad about your present, by the way, my dad was able to get his number for me, so he's fine with it, he thinks it'll be fucking good for you." John was mystified at this, but stayed silent as he trailed inside after Karkat, wordlessly following him up to his room. Karkat turned to look at him and added, "If you don't fucking love your present, Egbert, I will personally rip out your intestines and keep you alive while doing it just so I can strangle you with them, because it is the most fucking adorable thing you will ever see in your gogdamn life, fuckass." As he turned the doorknob, a little noise started up; a small yipping, originating from a large cage in the corner of the room.

John gasped as he strode over to the cage, crouching in front of it. Inside was a little puppy, on its hind legs with its paws to the bars of the cage, giving little howls and yipping joyously at him. "She's a mutt, so we can't really trace her lineage, but she's definitely got a lot of beagle in her, but the vet says she's not going to get that big. We already made sure she had her shots and everything, now all she needs is a name." Karkat crouched beside John, the tiniest of smiles making his lips twitch up. "You can take her out if you want, I don't mind."

"I'll name her Casey," John said with a nod, grinning from ear to ear as he opened the cage and pulled out the little puppy, its white coat patched with light brown. Round, dark brown eyes looked up at John before a wet tongue was planting doggy kisses all over his face, making him laugh and turn his face away. "Casey! Hey, don't do that!" He giggled, scratching behind her ears as Karkat looked on, happy that he'd done something right and given his boyfriend a present he would surely enjoy.

He was surprised when the dog suddenly wriggled out of John's arms and barreled into his chest, making him stagger from the suddenness of the "attack." Karkat's face was instantly covered in kisses from the puppy too, as he cursed and tried to get the dog to stop without hurting her while John stood by, laughing. Finally, he helped Karkat by picking Casey up off of him and extending a hand to assist him up. "Looks like she likes you too, Karkat! Hey, that gives me an idea! We can be Casey's parents!" He positively beamed at the thought. "I can be her caring father, while you be her loving mother! How does that sound, Karkat?"

Karkat grumbled a few choice words as he got up and brushed himself up, then looked up with a sharp, "Positively fucking idiotic, dumbass." He scowled. "We're both guys, so of course we'd both be fathers. Don't fucking insult me like that, idiot." He pushed John lightly with one hand, then remembered John's earlier words. "What was it you needed to give me?" It was more out of curiosity than anything, really- otherwise, he would've been happy to wait, but the bit about it "needing to sink in" had him wondering.

"Oh!" John's eyebrows rose in surprise at mention of this, and Karkat guessed that he'd forgotten in all the excitement that was Casey. "I almost forgot! What with this great present you got me and all. Best present ever, I just hope she and Jade's dog, Bec, get along, haha! But, yeah, I think we'll need to put Casey up for this." So Karkat had guessed correctly. He watched as John placed the puppy back in the kennel, causing her to whine quietly, jumping to try to get back to him. "Sorry, Casey, but I promise we'll be right back."

The pianist led a mystified Karkat downstairs to the room where his lessons were held, clutching a folder in his hand that he had first dug out from the bottom of his bag. "You're going to love this," he informed his boyfriend with a grin, settling on the bench in front of the grand, placing the folder on the stand and opening it to remove the carefully hand-written last draft of the sheet music. He placed the sheets carefully on the stand, while patting the bench to encourage Karkat to sit beside him, which he did, a curious expression on his face.

"I wrote this for you," John explained shyly, a meek grin on his face. "It doesn't have a name yet, I was hoping you'd want to give it a name after you hear it, since it's for you. I mean, if you don't want to hear it, I can just, you know, not play, and we can go back up to Casey or something, but, um, yeah, if you don't wan-" He was silenced by Karkat placing a hand firmly over his mouth, giving him a look that said, "Shut up, John, I get it already."

"Shut up and play, fuckass," Karkat said as he removed his hand, giving John a smile and a roll of his eyes. At this John grinned, turning his attention to the notes set on paper, and his fingers began to move over the keys.

The melody was enchanting and sharp, pulling Karkat in and abruptly snapping him from his trance all at once. The rhythm was smooth and perfect for the notes, and the key in which it was written was both bright and thunderous. Then, without warning, it began to slow into something softer, sweeter, bringing forth an imagine of a soft, warm spring morning, things green and living all around, the movements of birds and insects the tune. Karkat closed his eyes so these images could dance behind his eyes; then the music began speeding up again, and clouds heavy with rain and electricity rolling over the meadow he'd envisioned in his mind. Then suddenly water was pouring over the ground, and thunder cracked fiercely in his mind, and he didn't even notice his fingers gripping the edge of the bench so hard his knuckles turned white.

Then the rain began slowing to a drizzle, and the last note hung beautifully in the air, the first ray of sunshine peeking through the iron clouds after the storm. Karkat let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, opening his eyes slowly. "Wow," he breathed, unable to say anything else as he looked at John, who watched him eagerly for his reaction. "You wrote... I mean... John, that was... Wow." He couldn't even form a coherent sentence, so much was his awe. "They call you a piano prodigy for a reason, don't they?" he was finally able to ask, smiling weakly.

Before Karkat knew was happening, his boyfriend had flung himself on him and was squealing happily, like a little kid that was excited over pleasing a parent. While Karkat was still off his guard, he kissed him sweetly, wrapping his arms around the other's neck to hold him close. Karkat's eyes shot wide open in surprise, then he relaxed and leaned into the kiss, closing his eyes, enjoying the moment and resting a hand on John's knee. As he pulled back for air, John was still wearing his pleased, goofy grin. "I'm so glad you like it!" he said in a rush, not even stopping for air. "I was really afraid you wouldn't! Wow, am I glad you like it! What do you think would be a good name for it, then?"

Karkat closed his eyes, recalling the images he'd seen on the backs of his eyelids as the song had been played. "I'm not sure," he said at first, not opening his eyes, but at a little prompting from John, he said quietly, "The Calming of the Storm." When he heard a sharp intake of breath, he knew he'd said something either terribly right or terribly wrong, so he slowly opened his eyes to find out and saw John staring at him in shock. A slow grin then started to overtake his face, and he soon wore a radiant expression of happy awe.

"Karkat, you got it!" he laughed as Karkat gave him a puzzled expression. "I wrote this song thinking of you. This is everything that I think about you put into a melody." Karkat had to admit, despite seeming oblivious sometimes, on purpose or otherwise, John was being pretty fucking poetic with this, like he'd stepped straight out of Karkat's favorite romcom. "I think you're the most wonderful guy I've ever met, and you're like this great big ball of rage sometimes that isn't afraid to tell people what's what, and I think that's really respectable. But sometimes, too, you can be so happy and calm, and it makes me happy to see you that way, too. So you're like a storm, Karkat! Unpredictable, but I'm the grass beneath you, and I need you to survive. I'm pretty sure I love you, Karkat." He pulled Karkat close to him in a warm embrace and nuzzled him gently, while Karkat was trying his absolute best not to tear up at this beautiful confession. Somehow it felt more impromtu than planned; he knew John couldn't possibly be faking this.

After a moment of shock Karkat returned John's embrace just as tightly, muttering into his shoulder, "What did I ever do to deserve you?" as he let a few happy tears drip onto John's shoulder. "Gogdammit, John, I love you too, even if I act like a real asshole sometimes. I don't know what I'd do without you, either, and I'm so happy that you're in my life. I just want to fucking stay this way forever. I love you." He gripped John's shirt tightly, unwilling to let go.

"You deserve everything to make you happy, Karkat," John whispered after a short pause. "Everything and more, just because you're you."

For once, Karkat was completely and utterly happy with his life.

**Guys, I said "yet" and "later," neither of these implies "next." :'33**

**But yeah, next time guys, promise. :D**

**-Silver**


	14. Chapter 14

**_Proceed With Caution: Smut Ahead._**

Fame and Games

Chapter 14: First

After a while spent in the piano room, sharing feelings and John playing some other songs for Karkat, they'd decided it was getting late and they should get ready to wind down for bed. Casey was asleep by the time they got back upstairs, but Karkat suggested they move her to the back porch, where they could let her run around as it was screened in to keep bugs out in the warmer months. John agreed readily, happy at the thought that she'd be able to run around without doing too much damage while they slept, if she wanted to. She woke up when they took her down, Karkat grabbing the bowls of food and water in the cage to take and John carrying the dog.

When they got down to the porch, they decided they'd best let her out for a little while to go to the bathroom before letting her settle down for the night. It took some time to wrangle her back onto the porch, but they were finally able to. By the time they did, they were both covered in sweat from exertion and definitely needed to shower. They took turns again, John first this time, and he crashed on the bed when he got out, waiting for Karkat while turning on the TV and surprisingly finding it turned to the Hallmark channel. He remembered Karkat liked romcoms, of course, but these were usually straight-up chick-flicks! John, however, found himself being pulled into the movie that was currently playing, much to his surprise. It wasn't that bad.

He became so absorbed in the movie that he didn't notice Karkat emerge from the bathroom in his pajama bottoms, black with little red crabs decorating them, which he'd surely have teased him for, nor did he notice as he crossed the room. He did not, in fact, notice a thing besides the television, before Karkat's weight made the bed dip behind John and Karkat had put one pale arm around his waist, ghosting a kiss across the back of John's neck. The boy shivered a little as Karkat tightened his grip, almost possessively.

Karkat's fingers slipped under John's shirt and drew little circles on his stomach, causing it to clench oddly, and he swallowed down an odd noise, akin to a whimper, as it tried to escape his throat. Karkat began nibbling on John's neck, and he finally caught on that Karkat was doing this on purpose. He relaxed a little, leaning back against him, letting little gasps escape his lips when Karkat's wandering hand found his nipples and pinched lightly on one. "John," he muttered into his ear, gently setting his forehead against the back of John's neck. "Is this okay? Can we do this?"

His unusually meek and scared tone made John smile. "Of course it's okay," the taller boy said with a little laugh, turning carefully to face Karkat. "We've known each other for three years, remember? I trust you, Karkat. I trust you completely." His words both soothed the boy and made him uneasy; he felt that he wasn't up to such a great feat, that this shouldn't be true, he would probably end up doing something stupid to hurt John, but also that it was okay for John to trust him, because he trusted John, more than he should because of his infamous "Prankster's Gambit."

John suddenly leaned forward to capture Karkat's lips, wiping away all his inhibitions about this as he nibbled gently at Karkat's lower lip and pulled him close. Karkat made a sound similar to a purr as John's hands roamed over his sides, barely touching the sensitive skin. Karkat began tugging at John's shirt, and he broke away from the kiss to sit up, pulling his shirt over his head. He felt a bit envious as he looked over at Karkat's form; even if he himself was nothing to laugh at, but Karkat's small figure was lean and lightly muscled from the baseball season, plus his frequent golfing trips with his father and brother. Then he remembered that Karkat was his, anyway, and he was Karkat's, so they were even, and he pulled Karkat to him again for another long, slow kiss.

Karkat drew his tongue across John's lips timidly, and the other boy allowed him entrance, his hands sliding lightly across Karkat's shoulders and down his back, making him shiver as their tongues wrestled in a sloppy battle for dominance. John eventually won and pushed Karkat slowly and gently against the bed, following so he didn't have to pull away from the kiss. He finally had to pull back for air, panting as he looked down at Karkat, who met his eyes, face flushed. He bit his lip and placed a hand on the hem of Karkat's pants, looking up at him to double-check for permission. The boy nodded, smiling weakly, and John helped him out of the pajama bottoms, leaving him in a pair of gray boxers.

John began to suck gently on Karkat's collarbone, causing him to moan softly, and John stuck a hand in Karkat's boxers while he was distracted, wrapping his fingers around his length. He sucked in a breath at the contact, then released it in a long, shallow breath, fingers gripping tightly onto the sheets. "John," he was able to get out, trying not to buck his hips up as the other continued, lifting one arm to hook it around the taller's shoulders, hanging onto him tightly.

He eventually managed to find some of his senses again and put his hand on the hem of John's pants, silently offering to return the favor. John nodded in understanding, standing up for a moment to remove his pants, then, nervously looking back at Karkat, his boxers. Karkat could understand that he was a little skittish about this, seeing as it was most likely his first time with another guy, if not his first time overall, and stood to take off his own boxers as well, smiling weakly at John then stepping forward to kiss his again, pressing their bodies close together, a little moan escaping him.

The elder of the two slowly led the other back until they were on the bed again, then began giving shallow little thrusts into Karkat's hips, causing them both to moan into the kiss from the friction. Karkat reached up to take John's glasses from his face as they parted, staring into his fond yet lustful eyes and placing a gentle hand on his chest to get him to stop for a moment. Blushing brightly, he placed the glasses on his bedside table and opened a little drawer in the side of it, drawing out a little bottle of clear liquid.

"K-Kankri gave this to me after he learned I was dating you," Karkat explained shakily as he held up the bottle for John to see. It wasn't labeled- in fact, it looked like the label had been hastily torn off, but John could guess what it was, making his face a fair competitor to Karkat's in the area of "how dark a blush one could have." "He said, and I quote, 'I know how teenagers are, so have this so neither of you will be hurt during sex, even if it is unintentional.' He's a dick sometimes, but this actually came in handy, so..." Karkat buried his face in John's chest as embarrassment overcame him.

"Oh," was all John said, blinking in surprise. "Then, do you want to... um... top, or should I...?" He smiled shyly as Karkat looked back up at him with wide red eyes, and he was so adorable that John couldn't help but run a hand through his snowy white hair. He seemed to think for a second, then held out the bottle of lube.

"Can you?" he asked in a tiny voice, looking hopefully at John and biting his lip, shifting a little.

John nodded a little, kissing Karkat again before taking the bottle from him. He opened it and put some of the lubricant on three of his fingers, knowing approximately what to do from admittedly having done a bit of research after the shower incident. He adjusted them a bit so they'd both be comfortable and carefully slid the first finger in, watching Karkat's face for signs of pain, though he only looked a little uncomfortable now, mumbling, "It's still a little cold, dumbass."

"I love you," John said with a little smile, littering kisses over Karkat's face and neck, making him giggle a little bit and relax. While he was distracted John slipped in his second finger, resulting in an almost immediate hiss of pain. In an instant, he was holding Karkat close with his free hand and muttering apologies. "I'm so sorry, so sorry, I just don't want you hurt badly, please, just hold on, okay? I'm sure it will get better." He met Karkat's lips with his, running his fingers lightly up Karkat's spine and causing him to shudder.

After he was sure Karkat had gotten used to the feeling, he began to scissor his fingers gently. At first Karkat still seemed uncomfortable and in some minor pain, but he soon melted, clutching John's shoulders once again and biting his lip, back arching from the bed just slightly. Once again, John slipped in the next and final slicked finger while Karkat was distracted, making him let out a high-pitched squeak, whether from the surprise or pain John wasn't sure. He continued what he was doing and hoped he was doing it right, though, as at this point, with their inexperience, it was all either could do.

When Karkat finally seemed ready, John extracted his fingers and lubed up his erection, then, sending many concerned glances Karkat's way, he began to ease into him, hoping against hope he'd be okay. Tears pricked at the corners of Karkat's eyes, but didn't escape, and he bit his lip to prevent himself from making any more embarrassing noises. Finally, John was all the way inside Karkat, and for a moment they just sat there like that, their heavy breathing the only sound in the otherwise quiet room.

Finally, Karkat said quietly, "I'm ready." John slowly began to move, thrusting in and out, but careful not to hurt his boyfriend. It continued this way for a while, slow, just getting used to the feeling of each other, and only small noises coming from both. Then Karkat bit his lip, looking up at John, and mumbled, "Faster?" He set his forehead against John's as he began to speed up, each becoming more vocal, Karkat predictably louder than John. The intimacy of this act was lost on neither of them, and as their eyes met, each pair clouded with lust, they still knew it.

Suddenly Karkat was arching and yelping, begging John to repeat whatever he'd done, and after a split second of inner panicking over Karkat's safety, John realized he'd found his prostate. He smiled through the haze in his mind and sought it out, hitting it over and over, reducing Karkat to a moaning mess beneath him. When one of his hands found Karkat's erection, it was all but over, and with a few more thrusts, Karkat went over the edge, holding on tightly to John as if he was his anchor to reality.

John followed Karkat soon enough, and, panting, it was all he could do to roll away before he collapsed. After a moment he turned and put his arms around Karkat, smiling as he nuzzled into his shoulder. "I love you," he said softly, grinning as if he were a complete idiot. Karkat rolled his eyes and turned so he could return John's embrace, holding him close and kissing his forehead gently, but he didn't say a word. John understood the silence, though, and it wasn't unwelcome. Soon, the both of them were asleep in each other's arms.

**There you go guys. There's your smut. You're welcome. XD More plot next chapter, promise! **

**-Silver**


	15. Chapter 15

Fame and Games

Chapter 15: Apart

John awake to the sound of the shower going the next morning, and sat up sleepily, looking around and wondering where he was for a moment before remembering all that had happened. His face turned a bright red, and he gripped his knees tightly as he bit his lip. Wow, they'd actually... They'd really had sex. Well, in that case, he was glad he'd taken the time to look up the basics, otherwise he would've fumbled about, clueless, a lot more than he had, and one or both of them might've gotten hurt. He grinned, biting his lip, and buried his head in his hands with a little giggle, feeling giddy.

"John, your turn." Karkat emerged from the bathroom, rubbing a towel over his hair and with another around his waist, as John peered up at him, fighting down the goofy grin he knew was on his face. "If you're not feeling sticky too then something's wrong with you." Though he was trying to act casual about it, John saw his cheeks pinking as he crouched by his drawers, rummaging for something to wear today.

"You'll look good in anything you put on," John said with a little smile as he crossed the room, scooping up his overnight bag and leaning to give Karkat a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Or, if you don't want to wear anything at all, I'm good with that too." He grinned as Karkat's face turned an even darker shade, and he gave John a punch on the shoulder for his remark, scowling to try to hide his embarrassment.

John laughed as Karkat pushed him towards the bathroom and growled, "Just take a fucking shower and only come out when you're mature enough to realize that just because we…" here he hesitated, then continued, "did _that_ doesn't mean you can just fucking tease me all day long, because I'm not going to damn well lay down and be walked all over like a stupid fucking doormat."

"But, Karkat, I tease you because I love you," John replied innocently, that grin on his face that signaled he believed he was about to get a jump on his Prankster's Gambit, so to speak. "And at least I'm mature enough to realize that we didn't 'do that,' we had sex." He ducked into the bathroom, laughing at the almost scandalized look on Karkat's face as he quickly closed the door and locked it before Karkat came lunging at him, ending up thumping on the bathroom door with an angry fist.

He showered quickly enough, stripping down and hopping under the warm jet, before getting out again and dressing himself. As he walked out of the bathroom, he spotted his boyfriend sitting on the bed, looking somber as he watched a program on Hallmark. He looked up at John with the same look and bit his lip. "John. My dad just came in to talk to me. You know he and Kankri are the bosses of Alternia Tech and Goods? Well they're making me go on a business trip with them to a stupid piece of shit conference, where I'll have to fucking speak with them in front of an entire goddamn crowd of publicists and other fucking stupid media guys that just want to take perfectly innocent phrases and twist them up until they're goddamn unrecognizable . I don't want to be away from you too long, either, okay? Especially not right after what we did. We're leaving on Tuesday, but I'm trying to work it out so I don't have to stay as long. I really can't just leave you like that. I'd ask Dad if you could come, but he already has a lot on his plate, and I doubt that your dad would let you miss school for that."

"If it helps, I'll be rooting for you the whole time," John said hesitantly, smiling softly.

Karkat sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Hey, we should go get Casey. Come on, let's go." He tugged on John's arm, and the two of them stumbled up to go retrieve the puppy from the back porch.

* * *

The next few days were spent mostly without Karkat's presence; since John left at around five on Saturday, he'd only talked to Karkat once over group mission on Sburb, and that was amidst everyone else's talking, as Karkat was too busy packing and getting ready with his family to be able to text him often or call for extended amounts of time. On Tuesday, he was sitting in class, bored out of his mind, when Dave nudged him during history. "Hey, bro. You miss Mister Grump already?" His face was stoic, but John was able to detect the underlying concern.

John sighed, then he shrugged, a sort of forlorn look on his face. "Yeah, but he's getting ready to help take over his family's company, right? It's good for him, and I don't need to be getting in the way. I'll be some sort of househusband or something, maybe." He smiled wryly at that, rolling his eyes. There was no way he'd _actually_ be some kind of househusband and not do anything to support them, duh. He could just keep doing what he was doing, with the piano concerts and all, and make a pretty good income. Argh, why was he even thinking about it? Who said that they'd make this relationship work enough to ever get married? Not that he really wanted to think about it ending, but he had to consider the possibility that they wouldn't last.

"You have a concert tomorrow, right?" It was clear that Dave was trying to get his mind off of Karkat as they walked down the hall, and John nodded in response. "Well, can I come over tonight? We haven't had any Dave-John bro time for a while. Play something besides our regular RPG for once, just play Halo together or something. How does that sound?"

The pianist grinned and nodded his head eagerly. "Sounds good to me. You can even hang out with Jade or something while I practice a little for the concert tomorrow. I'll probably need about an hour, so that should give her enough time to kick your butt at Call of Duty or something." John gave Dave a lopsided grin, knowing that Jade outweighed Dave as a marksman in any game, even if Dave sometimes refused to acknowledge it.

It seemed today was not one of those times, though, as Dave just shrugged and said, "Your sister is a genius with gunning platforms, man. She could snipe somebody blindfolded. I swear one day she's going to be some dangerous government agent sent to deal with anybody her boss decides they don't like in a way that no one would ever know that it's her. Maybe she'll even make it super obvious to the victim beforehand just for the fun of getting to see their faces when they realize, _Holy shit this crazy bitch is going to kill me, I better start praying._"

John laughed, closing his locker. "I'll see you at my house after school, Dave," he said fondly, walking towards the home etc classroom.

* * *

It was some time after Dave left that evening (he'd won against John in most of the games they'd played, but he'd gotten completely smoked by Jade) that John's phone began buzzing on his dresser, turned on vibrate so it wouldn't distract him too much from the single-player game he was currently immersing himself in. He could still hear it over the din of fire and explosions from the game, however, and when it persisted after a few moments he realized it was a call, so it must be something important. He paused the game and got up to quickly grab his phone, smiling to himself when he saw that it was Karkat.

"Hey." His boyfriend's voice sounded tired on the other end. "I got my own room, so I can call you and have an actual private conversation while I'm on vacation. What a miracle." John's frowned at the weariness in Karkat's voice. He must really be tired.

"Karkat, not that I don't appreciate the call, but you sound really worn out. Maybe you should just get to bed." John bit his lip even as he said it. Hearing Karkat's voice even after only a few days of being without it was like having water after being dehydrated in a desert for a the same period of time. Realizing this, he reminded himself that it would be good for them to have some time apart occasionally, so they didn't end up being codependent.

"Like hell I am." Karkat's voice was a little gruffer this time as it came at him through the receiver. "I had to wait all fucking day to get this call through to you. Now we have all night to talk if you want to." John heard something like shifting going on on the other end of the call, and he waited patiently for what he knew would be Karkat getting comfortable. "Now talk, asshat. I'm eventually going to pass out anyway."

The prankster laughed at that and struck up a conversation about nothing, aimlessly wandering from topic to topic. Whatever popped up in their minds was what they talked about, and they seemed completely content with that. Eventually, John heard Karkat start to sound drowsy again, and he stopped replying at all. John smiled as he hung up, feeling a little sleepy himself. Glancing at his clock, he saw it was no wonder. He and Karkat had been talking for almost four hours, and it was almost one in the morning. He felt oddly content, though. Just talking about nothing with Karkat made him feel that way, he realized with a little sigh, just to complete his contented state.

It was all too easy to fall into the arms of sleep as it embraced him and dragged him into familiar darkness, his blankets wrapping him up in warmth and keeping away the chill of the night and the sudden stark loneliness he felt when he realized that he wished Karkat was beside him. He could ward off the feeling for only a few moments before sleep claimed him.

The next day, school was a rush and a blur, and he got teased by Dirk at lunch, for having a boyfriend after so long saying he wasn't homosexual, even rejecting Dirk's own advances once when they were younger. John remembered thinking that it was a little unusual that Dirk had opted to sit with his brother instead of his own little group of friends that day, but it wasn't actually entirely that uncommon. John was convinced that Dirk was trying to bring their two groups of friends together, with some help from Rose's own twin, Roxy. It wasn't that John minded, sometimes he just wasn't entirely sure how to act around them. They made him feel strange for some reason, maybe because they reminded him of other people he knew.

After lunch, John sat through his classes in boredom and anticipation. As he'd told Karkat as one of their many topics last night, he planned to play the song he'd composed for his boyfriend tonight at his concert and dedicate it to him, though how well that would go over John wasn't sure. Then again, he didn't care. His "fans" in the upper classes could go be assholes somewhere else if they suddenly decided they didn't like him just because he announced he had a boyfriend.

That night, John stood at the side of the stage, a little nervous but otherwise ready and raring to go. When the introductions were over, he strode confidently onto the stage and said thank you to the man giving the introductions, and speaking into the little microphone clipped to the front of his nice, neat suit, he introduced the piece.

"My first piece isn't one you'll recognize, I assure you. If you do hear anything familiar in it, it's purely coincidence. I wrote this with my boyfriend in mind, and that's who I'd like to dedicate it to. He named it The Calming of the Storm for me. I hope you all enjoy it in its entirety and take it for more than just the face value."

John sat down at the bench and put his magic fingers to work over the keys of ivory and ebony, and when he was done, there was a short silence. Then, all at once, applause filled the amphitheater, and John grinned and continued his concert, feeling completely and utterly happy.

**Filler chapter. More plot to come. I swear it. Next chapter.**

**Casey is being kept in the back yard. There is a fence around the Egberts' entire back yard, okay. XD She couldn't be trusted in the house. And they need somewhere to keep Bec when he's not inside, right? They get along fiiiiiine. You know, just in case you guys were actually wondering. **

**-Silver**


	16. Chapter 16

Fame and Games

Chapter 16: Media

"I know! I'm the one who fucking let it slip to the media at the conference, and I'm so fucking sorry that the boy I love isn't good enough for society! Or maybe he is good enough, he's just not fucking _girl_ enough for them! That's all it fucking is, isn't it? Goddammit, why doesn't anyone else see that gender doesn't fucking matter?"

John stood uncomfortably just outside the door to Karkat's father's study, where his boyfriend's voice could plainly be heard from the other side, though the elder Vantas's calmer voice was muffled due to lower volume and the thick study door. From what Karkat had been yelling about so far, he could tell that it was about him, though. He'd been asked to wait here after Mr. Vantas had pulled Karkat from their Thursday piano lesson, the week after he'd been gone to the conference.

The door suddenly opened after a long period of muffled talking, and John realized that Karkat had lowered his voice as well. The boy was looking out at him, and John was suddenly aware of how tired he looked. He looked as though the weight of the world had been settled on his shoulders, and he was ready for a nice, long break from it all. "John, come on," he sighed after a pause. "My dad wants you in on this conversation too now." He waved John in, looking almost apologetic and mouthing, 'Sorry for this bullshit.'

"John," Mr. Vantas said almost as soon as he entered, nodding towards one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk, "please, sit." He had a friendly, yet business-like air around him, and John immediately sat, looking at him expectantly as Karkat joined them. "Now, I understand that, being who you are, you have been interviewed for websites and papers alike numerous times, not to mention been in a few prestigious magazines and the like. However, there is nothing that society could consider 'bad' about you published yet. I trust you understand that Karkat let slip he had a boyfriend at the conference Wednesday?"

John nodded, but before anything else could be said he protested, "Sir, I do understand that, but he's not the only one that's said something. I played a song that I wrote for him at my last concert and dedicated it to him, not by name, of course, but just, you know, 'to my boyfriend.' I did have a few people ask me questions after the show, and I'm pretty sure I'll be losing some of my fans, but Mr. Vantas, I'm going to have to say that I don't give a damn what society thinks, excusing my French." The young man smiled apologetically, and for a moment, a stunned silence settled over the room.

Then Mr. Vantas started to laugh. It started as more of a chuckle, really, then turned into a deep, hearty bellow. He continued laughing until he ran out of air and then some, wheezing for breath, and when he stopped, he had to take a minute to catch it. "John," he was finally able to say, "you're the best person I could ever imagine for my son. Treat him well." He suddenly grew more solemn again. "However, I still want to discuss this with you. If I am honest, our corporation is a big one, and there are people that would like to sabotage it. They will try to make all of us look bad by saying things that are not true about the two of you. Now, I don't want you to deny any of it unless it gets very bad. I want to be able to handle things first, however, so come to me if you can. I'm here for you two, because I believe you can get through this. John, I'd also like to extend an invitation to yourself and your father to our vacation to our beach house in June. We'll be there for about a month, and if we're lucky, the media that are sure to follow will see that there's nothing wrong with the two of you being a couple." He smiled wryly. "I hate using a vacation as an excuse to make your relationship look good to the people of the media, but all I'm asking you to do is be yourselves and have a good time. You don't have to be something you're not, just act natural."

Karkat looked as if he was about to say something, but John settled a hand on his arm, looking at him meaningfully before turning his attention back to Karkat's father. He gave a little nod and inhaled deeply, steadying himself to speak. "Like you said," he was finally able to say, "I'm kind of used to media and all that. They always try to make you look bad somehow, and let something slip that could potentially ruin you, and they did that a lot to me when I first started my career as a piano prodigy, sometimes even now." Here he smiled. "But that's okay. I've learned how to handle them, and it's even easier if you don't have anything bad to hide. And personally? I don't think I do." He moved his hand to slip it into Karkat's, and the albino's fingers gripped onto his. "If they want honesty, okay, I'll give them honest, but there's nothing to be ashamed of." Glancing at Karkat, he saw he was blushing, and he grinned.

There was nary a falter in Karkat's voice, however, when he said, "Okay, nitwit, you're good with the press, we get it. Your idiot routine and oblivious smile obviously got to me even though I couldn't see that stupid grin when I first met you." He glanced at his father and cleared his throat, flushing darkly as he added, "Dad thinks it's best if we don't mention that we already have a sex life, though."

It was John's turn to blush, and he couldn't meet Mr. Vantas's eyes as he chuckled. "What? Both of you are clean. John, I hope you don't mind, but I took the privilege of finding and going through your medical records just to make sure, and I trust you haven't had sexual relations before?" When John shook his head bashfully, Mr. Vantas continued, "Then I think it's fine, even if you don't use protection. It's not like a child could result from it that the media could leech off of, and as long as neither of you get hurt, I don't see a problem." He smiled and nodded understandingly.

"You know what, Dad? We'll just be in my room," Karkat said abruptly, pulling John after him. The pianist willingly followed, still not able to look at Mr. Vantas. "Thanks for the chat and all that, but I think we're good now." John stumbled after Karkat, shaking his head free from the shame and embarrassment that had clouded his mind, as they got further and further away from the study. "I am so fucking sorry. I let a few words slip and he makes me tell you that. In the same room as him, no less, like he doesn't even fucking trust me, and he makes commentary on it anyway!" John could tell that Karkat wasn't really angry, though, just embarrassed like he himself was.

Chuckling at the way Karkat was reacting, John just put an arm around Karkat and kissed his cheek. "Well, as long as he knows and your bedroom is right here," he gestured to the doorway that they'd just reached with a mischievous little grin, "I don't see any harm in having another go. I won't be able to fall asleep with you tonight, sadly, because of school tomorrow- ugh, school ruins everything, right?- but hey, I'm almost free from it! And then you and I can share a room at the beach house on vacation, because I plan on being able to go, no matter what." He kissed Karkat's nose and grinned. "I can't lose you for an entire month. Just having you gone for three or four days at a time was too long for me."

This made Karkat blushed as he opened his door, shaking his head and mumbling, but he looked up when John didn't come across the threshold with him, a scowl crossing his face. "What are you waiting for, and invitation? John, if you want sex, get your ass in the room right the fuck now before I change my mind."

John laughed, walking into the room, Karkat closing the door behind him. "That was exactly what I was waiting for, Karkat, and that was beautiful." He'd barely sat dor on the edge of the bed when Karkat attacked his lips, nipping at them and pushing him down, tugging on his clothing.

"Don't get me wrong, I still want you to be the one thrusting into me," Karkat panted as he broke from the kiss, "but damn do I need the fucking stress relief."

* * *

John had to wait a few minutes after they'd finished to get his breath back completely, and a few minutes more to begin regaining the movement of his arms and legs. He kissed Karkat apologetically, telling him he really had to go, it was getting late, and Karkat breathlessly replied, "I fucking love you, John. Keep taking care of Casey. We're doing this again tomorrow, right?"

A lopsided grin and a, "Definitely, only at my place, Jade's spending the night with Rose and those guys, and Dad's probably going to take Rose's mom on a date, so no one around to hear. I mean, let's face it, Karkat, we're loud, you're practically a screamer," he chuckled. He added suddenly, "You haven't been to my house yet, have you?" tilting his head to the side a bit in curiosity.

Karkat shook his head. "Don't think so."

"Even better," John said, giving a grin, then he got up to get dressed, picking up his articles of clothing from where they'd been discarded all over the room in their haste. He gave Karkat one more kiss and an "I love you, Karkat," before he was gone.

Karkat just chuckled, shaking his head at John, before going to take a shower. Immediately after taking a shower, he logged onto Sburb, ready to play a little before he went to bed. A nice three-player mission in the Land of Rain and Light with Gamzee and Kanaya was enough to relieve what little was left of his stress, and by the end of it he was exhausted, saying goodnight to his friends and falling soundly asleep without even getting up to set his laptop back on his desk.

**There's your plot for the next few chapters. "Stupid goddamn media." XD **

**Oh, if you read Gifted- the JohnKat story I just started- I thought I should let you know that I've put a link to the appearances of them all in that world on my profile. :3 Sorry if they're a little terrible, but it's the best I've got. :'33**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though. nwn I love you all for staying with me and this story for so long- I do believe it's my longest story to date. **

**-Silver**


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